Broken
by Xxx-Aka-Ketsueki-xxX
Summary: Naruto falls into depression when he does something he'll never forgive himself for. As he begins to slowly throw his life away, he speaks to someone he hardly knows, and sees that he's not the only one suffering. Rated M for language, and adult/sexual themes. Following the same plot and setting as 'Bring Me To Life'.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto flinched as he downed yet another shot of the bar's strongest liquor. He hadn't even paid much attention to how much his liver was begging him to stop his abuse, being that his heart was in much greater pain. As he looked down at the wood of the counter, he became enchanted with how much everything seemed to move around, even though he was sitting completely still.

The bartender looks at him and sighs. He's seen some pretty impressive drinkers in his years at bar-tending this place, but he didn't know anyone who could take fifteen shots of his hardest stuff like this kid. And Naruto was a minor, at that. Here, the rule is that the word 'teen' cannot be in the number of your age in order for them to buy drinks. And Naruto is sixteen. At the other bar across the village, anyone sixteen and up could drink. But this one was for adults that had a bit more mileage in life. He had refused to let him buy anything at first, but Naruto insisted that he had money, and needed to drink. If it wasn't for the look in his eyes that the bartender saw, Naruto probably wouldn't even be here. He saw that the kid had been through something, and he could really use a drink.

"Another." Naruto slurred, finding that his tongue went numb from the chemicals he consumed. The bartender sighed again.

"Kid, if you have another drink, you'll match your age. I think you've had enough." He says, looking at Naruto sympathetically from across the counter. Naruto looked up at him with a minor glare, finding it hard to focus his eyes on him.

"I'm fine, jus' gimme 'nother one." Naruto commanded, extending his hand out as if the bartender would just hand him the whole bottle.

The clerk shook his head, "Sorry kid, I'm not giving you another one. I shouldn't have even given you one. So why not just go home and stay there for the rest of the night before you do something you'll regret."

Before Naruto could reply, the bartender walked away to serve someone else.

"Asshole." Naruto spat. He rubbed his eye and felt how dizzy he became from doing such a simple action. He almost fell off of his stool. Despite the clerk refusing to give him another drink, he knew that he was right. Naruto is fucked up. He needs to get home now, but decides to wait until some of the alcohol dissipates from his system. If he tried to go home now, he'd fall all over the place.

Just then, someone sat in the stool next to him. He looked over and saw that it was someone he knew, but the name escaped him. He knew it began with an 'r'... or an 'n'...

It was then that the person looked over at him. Those red irises should have been a big giveaway. However, her name was still unclear to him. He was thinking hard about what it could be, a bit harder than he should be.

He missed the fact that the woman was looking at him strangely.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" He almost missed that she was talking to him. He shook his head to clear his mind, but only ended up making himself dizzier.

He recovered enough to properly reply, "I'm jus', uh... Havin' a few drinks..."

The woman gave a short chuckle, "Well, I can clearly see that. But I know that you couldn't possibly be over nineteen. I didn't even know that you drink."

Naruto laughed, a bit more than he should have, "Ah, I jus' felt like havin' a few... I kinda bugged the bartender to let me in."

When the beautiful lady gave a short signature smile, her name became clear to him now. Yuuhi. Kurenai Yuuhi.

"Well, I'm not going to bug you, or lecture you or anything. I did a few similar things when I was your age, too." Kurenai said. "Just... Don't overdo it."

_"Too late."_ Naruto thought.

"I'll try not to." He said. Kurenai turned her head and ordered to have the same drink Naruto was having. When she got it, her ruby lips parted and allowed the liquid to flow into her mouth.

She flinched in shock, "Oh my!" She exclaimed before looking at Naruto with surprise evident on her features, "Naruto... you were drinking this?"

Naruto chuckled and nodded, "Uh-huh."

She counted the amount of shot glasses surrounding him. This increases her surprise tenfold, "And you've had that many? My goodness, you must have a liver made of gold!"

_"That, or a demon healing me twenty-four seven."_ He almost said out loud. Naruto replied by snorting, following with a shrug of his shoulders.

Kurenai stared at the remains of her drink, then shrugged as well. "Well, this must be some good stuff if its this strong. I could use it." She pinched her nose, then downed the rest of the liquid in one go. Kurenai rapidly shook her head and was hit with the recoil from the strong liquor. The pinching-your-nose technique never actually helps like it should...

It burned her throat on the way down, so she had to wait a few seconds before talking again.

"So how's Kakashi doing? And the rest of your team?"

Naruto almost literally felt his heart stop beating for a second or two when she asked that question.

"They're... Fine. Um... Kakashi-sensei is still recoverin' from the hospital, but he should be out by tomorrow..."

Naruto had replied to Kurenai's question strangely, but Kurenai thought it could be because of the booze, so she blew it off.

Naruto quickly changed the subject, "So how's Kiba, Hinata, and... Er..."

"Shino?"

Naruto nodded. Drunk or not, he could never remember his name. "Yeah, him."

"They're fine." Kurenai ordered another shot of the same stuff, "Kiba and Akamaru are knuckleheads as usual, Shino's always the mysterious one, and Hinata will be Hinata."

Naruto nodded. He smiled as he remembers his old friends. He should probably pay them a visit sooner than later...

* * *

Kurenai and Naruto spent the next hour or so small talking about random things. Kurenai, thanks to the bar's strongest stuff, was now almost as drunk as Naruto. But she only had five shots.

They were now laughing, as Naruto told her about the time he and Kiba got into an non-serious fight regarding food when they were younger. The story itself wasn't as funny as they were making it out to be, however.

Another two shots slid Kurenai's way. She looked at the bartender to make sure his back was turned, then sent Naruto a sultry grin. She handed him one of the glasses, and drunkenly held her index finger in front of her lips.

She then extended her glass, "To good times." She proposed.

Naruto grinned and collided his glass with hers, "To good times." They then took the whole shot in one go simultaneously.

Once Naruto put the glass on the counter, the world around him began to spin out of his control.

Then, all of the sudden, he felt as if he were flying.

_**THUD.**_

Naruto hit the ground hard.

* * *

Naruto groggily woke up with his eyes still shut. He groaned and creaked his eyes open, light searing into his retinas.

"Naruto-kun, you're up! Are you okay?" He barely heard a voice say to him. His eyes got used to the light a bit, so he leaned up from where he was laying and looked around. It was then he realized that he had the mother of all headaches.

He also saw that he was no longer in the bar. He wasn't even in his own apartment. He was in an unfamiliar home. One decorated with many flowers.

He then saw Kurenai at his side. How he missed spotting her the first time he looked around, he'll never know. He must still be drunk...

"Ugh..." He groaned, holding his throbbing head. "What... What happened?"

Kurenai gave a soft smile, "You overdosed at the bar and passed out."

Naruto thought about it and could just faintly recall himself having drinks with Kurenai.

He smile slid into a frown, "Are you alright, though? You hit your head really hard..."

_"Well, that explains this huge headache I have..."_ He thinks to himself.

"Yeah... I'm fine, just got a headache..." He tells her groggily.

"Oh, that's good, at least it's not anything major..." She frowns a bit more, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have gave you another drink."

Naruto sat up on the couch he was laying on. Kurenai sat beside him and gently rubbed his head.

"I-It's fine." Naruto mumbles. He looks around the room one more time, "This is your apartment?"

Kurenai nods, "Yeah. I would have brought you to your house, but I don't know where you live."

The Uzumaki shrugged, "It's fine." He felt his head pulse, giving him more pain. "Ugh... How long was I out?"

Kurenai looked at him sympathetically, "For around thirty minutes or so." Naruto nodded. That explains why he still felt drunk and could smell the lingering alcohol in Kurenai's breath. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want anything? Water, tea?" She offered politely.

Naruto thought for a second, "Yeah, I'm okay. And a glass of water would be nice."

Kurenai nodded and walked into the nearby kitchen. She returned a few seconds later with two tall glasses of water.

She handed one to him, "Thanks." He replied, drinking the water to help get rid of the taste of alcohol.

"You're welcome." Kurenai takes a sip of her own. While Naruto was still gulping it down, Kurenai looked at him with wondering and concerned eyes.

"...Naruto?"

Naruto took a breath after swallowing the rest of the water in his mouth, "Hm?"

"Seriously... Why were you in a place like that, drinking...?"

Naruto paused. For once in the past twenty-four hours, what happened yesterday left his thoughts for a while.

"I just... I needed to get away."

Kurenai frowned, "Get away from what?"

Naruto sighed, "Reality."

The room became awkwardly silent.

The red-eyed beaut gave a short, sad chuckle, "I can relate to you on that... I think that's why I came there, too."

Naruto looked at her, and could see how much pain showed on her face. He hesitated to ask this question, "What happened?"

Kurenai rubbed her eye. Not because it was bothering her, but because she didn't want him to see a tear fall down her face.

"...Um..." She cleared her throat in an attempt to fix her cracking voice.

"My... My baby was miscarried yesterday."

Naruto dropped his glass.

His eyes grew wide, "Wha... Oh my God... Wait, I didn't know you were pregnant..."

"I was only about two months pregnant, I wasn't showing much... And I didn't tell anybody. I wanted to keep it a surprise." She said, looking at the floor. Naruto was speechless for a few seconds.

"I'm so sorry..." Naruto told her, feeling really concerned for Kurenai at this point. "If you don't mind me asking... Who was the father?"

"I'm sure you know who Asuma Sorutobi is."

"... Shikamaru's sensei?" Kurenai nodded. "Really?! ...Well, I did see you two together a lot..."

Kurenai gave a small laugh. The room went silent again for a few more seconds.

"Um... What did he say... About the, um..."

Kurenai shook her head, "He doesn't know. About the miscarriage or the baby in general."

Naruto paused, "Why didn't you tell him?"

"Because..." Kurenai tried masking her sadness and anger with a bitter smile, "The fucker dumped me yesterday."

Naruto's eyes went wide in disbelief, "What?! Why?"

Kurenai's teeth was grinding, "Because he didn't feel that things were working out." This time, she didn't stop a tear from falling down her face, "What pisses me off the most about the whole situation is that yesterday was the day I was going to tell him that I was pregnant. It was almost as if he knew."

Naruto had a hard time believing her. He may not have known Asuma all that well, but he seemed like a really good guy. He would have never guessed that Asuma would break up like Kurenai like that, whether he may have or may not have known that she was pregnant.

Kurenai continued after a brief pause, "And that's when I lost the baby. I guess that whole moment just stressed me out so much... that..." Kurenai couldn't continue. She buried her face into her palms, sobbing and crying her eyes out.

Naruto didn't know what to do or say. Kurenai's situation was indeed sad, and he couldn't blame her for crying.

He couldn't help but move closer to her and hug her. Once his arms enveloped around her, Kurenai clung to him, burying her face into his jacket. Naruto rubbed her back up and down delicately.

"Why, Naruto...?" She sobbed, "I-I don't understand... Why do these things happen to me...?"

Naruto simply shushed her. He told her to just let it all out.

Thirty minutes later, Kurenai's tears finally went dry. Her sobs died down, and she eventually separated from Naruto.

She wiped away the smeared tears that remained on her face as she looked at Naruto, "... Sorry about your jacket."

Kurenai's tears had soaked through his jacket and the undershirt underneath, "It's alright. Do you feel better?"

Kurenai nodded, "A little bit. I could still use a drink."

"Me too." Said Naruto.

Kurenai looked at him, "Naruto, I think you've done enough drinking for the day." She paused. "...You still never told me why you were at the bar in the first place. Why were you trying to get away from reality like I was?"

Naruto sighed, avoiding eye contact. He didn't know how to explain things to her. He didn't even want to.

"I, um..." He hesitated, "...I've... done something unforgivable yesterday."

Kurenai gave him her full attention, "If you don't mind me asking... What did you do?"

Naruto broke down.

His face was in his palms, sobbing just as Kurenai had been more than thirty minutes ago.

"I didn't mean to do it... I keep trying to convince myself that it wasn't my fault, but I'm so angry at myself..." After a brief pause, Naruto tries to gain his composer back with a deep sigh, "I... I've killed someone very close to me."

Kurenai was not ready for him to say that.

She was stunned, "You killed... B-But how...? Why...?" She sputtered. She didn't want Naruto too feel worse by making him explain more, but she felt that she had to know what happened.

Naruto held back a sob, "...I'm sure you know about me being the container of the Kyuubi..."

Kurenai hesitated. She didn't expect for him to bring up a matter like this, "Yes, I'm aware."

"Well," Naruto began, "When I get really pissed off, the Kyuubi's chakra leaks out and takes over my body and mind somewhat. It's like a Kyuubi-like state of sorts."

Kurenai was surprised to hear this. She always knew about him containing a demon fox, but now she knew never to piss him off.

"And yesterday, my squad and I were on a spy mission to get information from Kabuto and Orochimaru. I'll skip some details, but eventually, I confronted Orochimaru. As we fought, he was saying some things that really got to me. I got so angry..." Naruto paused, "I blacked out. Whenever I go into that Kyuubi state, I'm always somewhat aware of my actions, even if sometimes I can't control them. But not this time. All I remember is Orochimaru saying something to me, then me waking up. Everything in between is fuzzy."

Kurenai nodded slowly.

"When I woke up, Yamato-sensei was by my side. I looked around and saw that everything looked as if a meteor hit. But he told me that I was the one that did it."

"What happened to Orochimaru?" She asked.

"Yamato says that he fled. Fuckin' coward." Naruto spat. He then closes his eyes.

A tear slowly slid down his cheek, from his eye, past his whisker marks, then dripped down from his chin.

"I then noticed that someone was missing. I asked Yamato-sensei where Sakura was. I'm sure you know who she is."

Kurenai nodded, "The girl with the pink hair that would beat you up from time to time, your teammate." She had to admit, the pink hair was a feature that would ensure that she would be a tough person to forget.

Naruto chuckled sadly, "Yeah. I asked where she was. Yamato pointed next to me, and there she was..." Naruto choked. More tears started falling.

Kurenai couldn't believe what Naruto said next:

"She was on the ground... Bleeding to death... Yamato told me that... I attacked her..."

The air around them became heavy. Naruto was sobbing into his hands, while Kurenai's eyes were wide in shock.

It felt like a while before either of them spoke again, "...My heart broke so bad, it felt as if it literally was ripped apart... I actually felt phsyical pain in my chest. We tried to get her to a hospital, but we were too late. Sakura-chan, the love of my life... Died... And I was the one who killed her..."

The whole situation; Naruto crying, hearing of the death of a fallen comrade, the fact that Naruto was in just as much pain as she was in, made tears flood her eyes as well.

She did the only thing that she could think of doing; she hugged him.

Naruto tensed up, and looked at her, surprised, "W-Why are you hugging me...?" Naruto questioned, "I'm a fucking monster, I killed my teammate, the love of my life... So why are you-"

"You're not a monster." Kurenai whispered to him. She pulled back a bit and looked straight into his pupils, "Naruto-kun, you cannot blame yourself for this. Sakura may be dead, but I can assure you that you weren't actually the one who killed her. The Kyuubi did. It was a very unfortunate incident that happened, but it wasn't your fault. You had no control over it."

"But my fucking temper!" Naruto exclaimed, "I went into the Kyuubi state because I let Orochimaru get to me! I'm so fucking stupid! Shinobi are supposed to detach their feelings on missions and in battle, and the fact that I blacked out like that makes me weak! I always talk about becoming Hokage one day, but now I feel like I don't even deserve to be a shinobi anymore...!"

Kurenai could see that he was really angry with himself. She became a bit startled when his irises faded into a very deep red color...

Naruto tried calming himself down, and his irises were no longer red, but purple.

"So... I guess I can say that I kinda lied to you. I wasn't at the bar because I wanted to get away from reality. Well, I did, but not the same way you were. I wanted to kill myself. I don't have the balls to slit my throat or anything, and trust me, I've tried... So I was hoping to drink myself to death." Naruto chuckled bitterly. "It's funny, because for a fucking demon that made me kill my teammate, makes it hard to kill myself with it's healing factor."

"Naruto..."

"What?"

Kurenai slapped him.

The fact that she did it surprised Naruto. Kurenai held a stern face, but concern was still spread across it.

Naruto slowly turned his head back and looked at her, "What was that for?"

Kurenai's hand stung, and wondered exactly how hard she actually smacked him. Nevertheless, her expression never changed, "Because, you're not being you right now. You're speaking nothing but nonsense."

Naruto glared at her, "You don't know me."

"I know that if a past version of you were to see you now, he'd slap you, too." She said. "I know I don't know you all to well, but I know that this-" she pointed at him. "-isn't you. I don't know who this is, but it definitely isn't Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage of Konohagakure. Like I said before, you're not a monster. You're not weak, and you have no legitimate reason to beat yourself up, let alone kill yourself."

"You don't understand." Naruto told her, "I deserve to leave. If I can't control my actions with a fucking demon inside me, I'm a threat to everyone I cared about. I already saw that for myself. I'm don't want to kill myself because I'm sad or angry, but because I feel that I have to, for the sake of everyone else."

"You're wrong." Kurenai responded, "You do want to kill yourself because you are sad and angry. The Naruto I know would let this be a learning experience, and would try harder to keep his emotions intact for the future. He would train. What happened on that mission is very unfortunate, and is indeed very sad. I don't blame you for falling into depression, but you shouldn't stay down there, like this. You should bounce back up, dust yourself off, and move forward, despite what happened."

Naruto was silent for a while, simply staring at Kurenai as she stared back at him.

"It's really easy for you to say that, when you're not the one on the receiving end."

"You're wrong about that, too." She told him. "I can relate to you a lot on this. Do you know how happy I was when I found out I was pregnant? I was so happy to start a family, to bring new life into this world. But when I got my heart broken by Asuma, and lost my baby, I was in the same condition you were in. I blamed myself for letting my emotions hurt my baby. I wanted to blame Asuma, and even though it was partially his fault, I was to blame, too."

"No," Naruto said. "No one can blame you for feeling hurt when you're heart's been broken."

"And no one can blame you for getting angry when Orochimaru provoked you. Not many things can get to you Naruto, I can tell. But what Orochimaru must've said probably almost had the same impact on you as Asuma breaking up with me had on me."

Naruto had no comeback.

"Our situations may be different, but they've affected us in similar ways. I wanted to kill myself because of what happened, too. But not for long. I was at the bar because, although I bounced back from what happened somewhat by locking myself in my room and having a long discussion with myself, I was still hurt. And I used liquor to numb that pain temporarily. It's a bad excuse, I know. But I know I'd be okay. I promised myself, that the only way I'd die, was from protecting and serving my village. Isn't that the number one rule to remember in order to be a shinobi?"

"Yeah..." He mumbled.

"And again, you're not weak. Once you've receive your Hitai-ate, you deserve to be a shinobi. And you will become Hokage one day, Naruto."

"How come... you seem like you know me well, when we hardly even talk...?" He asked.

"Because, you've made a name for yourself around the village already, Naruto. I've seen you and your antics as a person before you even became a ninja. You were so happy, undeterred by other people trying to get your hopes down, so persistent to get everyone to recognize who you were... I respected that. A lot of the people here saw and still see you as just the container of the Kyuubi. But not me, not with a smile and personality like yours. I was actually hoping to have you as one of my students, so I could show you that not everyone hated you." She said. "You're an amazing, unique person. And to see you like this, willing to throw away everything you worked for breaks my heart. If I have enough strength to get back up from my dilemma, I know you can."

"But..." Naruto stuttered, "The pain... It hurts so much..."

Kurenai gave him her sweetest, most considerate smile. She reached up and caressed the cheek she slapped a moment ago. "That slap I gave you earlier, it hurt, right?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah."

"Does it hurt, now?"

"No..."

"See?" Kurenai said. "All pain is just temporary, no matter how severe it is. Some pains may take longer to heal than others but nothing is infinite. Your dilemma probably hurts you more than mine does to me, because you're young. This is probably the first time you've had an experience like this. But for me, I've had my heart broken before, and this isn't the first time where my emotions affected those close to me. Yes, shinobi are supposed to separate their emotions while on duty, but for most people, that's almost impossible. I still struggle with such matters. However, that's life. Everything is a learning experience, and no matter how hard it gets, we have to move on. If you were to kill yourself now, you'd lose all your respect from me. And Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Kakashi, Tsunade, and all your friends and comrades, including Sakura, as well. The only way we want to see you die is because you went down fighting for your village, just as you had promised Iruka when you became an official shinobi of the Leaf." She smiled softly at him, "Never give up, Naruto. You promised yourself that you'd become Hokage. And isn't that your nindo? To never go back on your word, no matter what? You've been shouting it around the village for quite some time."

Naruto stared at her, in shock. She was absolutely, one-hundred and ten percent correct. About everything. Her words finally broke into his stubborn mindset, and was now changing the way he was thinking.

Naruto ambushed her in a tight hug, something that caught her off-guard. But she simply smiled, and returned the hug.

"Thank you..." Naruto said.

"You're welcome." Kurenai whispered. "You just needed someone to remind you about a few things, that's all."

The pair remained in this position for at least ten whole minutes. Naruto was still crying, as was Kurenai.

"Kurenai...?" Naruto mumbled.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm still hurting, though..."

"It's okay, so am I. But we just need time to heal. And maybe we can help each other through this process..."

Naruto nodded. He was perfectly fine with that.

Soon, they both pulled back a bit.

They stared at each other. Blue irises met red ones.

Then it happened.

It was as if their bodies moved on autopilot. Their heads slowly inched closer together like magnets until their lips connected. Electricity sparked between them, and their bodies became hot. Yearning.

The kiss was so passionate. Their hearts were still in pain, and that connection, that identical heartache let them link together on more than just a physical level.

Soon, Naruto found himself on his back, with Kurenai on top of him, kissing him with just as much passion and force as he was letting on.

Then slowly, more and more clothing was found discarded onto the hardwood floor.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thank you guys for all the feedback you gave me. I'm glad to see that most of you enjoyed the recent chapter. :) And from now on, in the author not at the beginning of every chapter in both this story and 'Bring Me To Life', I will respond to reviews or questions that I feel should be addressed to, if I receive any for that particular chapter.**_

_Vincent Avalon - In your line "Naruto tried calming himself down, and his irises were no longer red, but purple." did you give him the rinnegan?_

_**My response**** - Nah, I'll rarely do things like that, giving Naruto extra non-canon abilities and such. When I said **__"Naruto tried calming himself down, and his irises were no longer red, but purple."**, I was stating that Naruto's blue eyes have mixed with the affects from the Kyuubi. Instead of being fully angry, having full blood red eyes, Naruto calmed himself down, but not fully, thus, giving him purple irises, a mix of his normal blue eyes and his angry red ones. I know it hasn't been seen in the anime or manga, but I felt like being creative. :)**_**  
**

___Mzr90 - "Have to say this is cool I can't wait for the backlash of this especially with Hinata so I saw an Anko version and just wondering if you'll do a Yugao version too?"  
_

_**My response - Thanks. :) And as much as I'd want to, I don't know much about Yugao's personality and stuff to write a proper story about her. She's not even seen much in the anime or manga, so it's hard to get information on her. But, I guess I could make my own background story and information for her... I dunno, I'll consider it, even though it's gonna be a lot of work for me to do that. That's a good question, by the way...  
**_

* * *

Naruto woke to the sound of dripping water.

He opened his eyes, and found himself standing ankle-deep in water. The room he was in was poorly illuminated, being poorly lit up by a few torches hanging up on the walls. In front of him, was a large cell with iron bars. There was what looked like a note placed on the bar right in the middle.

Naruto's been here before. More than once.

"Naruto-kun..." He heard from behind the bars. Naruto grimaced and crossed his arms.

"What? You know I have no intention on talking to you, or even seeing you after what you did."

"After what I did?" The voice replied. From beyond the shadows in the cell, walked a red-headed woman that shared Naruto's whisker marks. Her eyes were blood-red, and nine long tails flailed patiently behind her. She looked to be in her earlier twenties, and had the face of every man's dreams. Her body was divine, and the red kimono-like dress she wore stopped after her hips, showing off her evenly toned legs. The red lipstick over her full lips accentuated them perfectly.

This goddess-like woman, sent a teasing grin Naruto's way, "You mean kill your precious teammate? I don't believe that I was the one that did it. If memory serves correct, you were the one that did it, Naruto-kun."

Naruto clenched his fists, but kept his composer otherwise, "No, you did. I would never hurt Sakura-chan." He was really trying not to burst out with anger. He was face to face with the demon that killed the most precious person to him. He wanted to fucking strangle her. But, he couldn't do that for many reasons. "I... I can't forgive you for that."

Kyuubi shrugged, with an amused smile. She then looks around herself, as if looking for something. "Sorry... I couldn't find the fuck I wanted to give. I must've had it somewhere in this darned cell..."

Naruto gritted his teeth. She was teasing him.

Seeing Naruto's displeasure, brought pleasure to her. She grins even wider. "Do you hate me? You want to kill me, don't you?"

"Yes." Naruto grumbled.

"Too bad, you can't." She loved to mock him. "And I'm glad you stopped destroying yourself. It was getting exhausting to constantly heal you."

"So why were you doing it?" Naruto asked.

"Because if you die, I go down with you. We've had this discussion before. I could really care less about your death, but I was meant to be immortal and I plan on keeping it that way."

Naruto's ability to keep his cool is really admirable. She didn't care one bit about him in the least. And even she was surprised at how well he was remaining calm, despite how much she was picking at his nerves.

"Why do you hate me?" Naruto asked. He said it, not in an angry nor sad tone, but in a tone that showed that he was really curious as to why she treated him like this.

Kyuubi raised one of her redish-orange eyebrows, "Hate you? I don't hate you."

Naruto raised one of his eyebrows as well, "So why do you treat me the way you do?" Before Kyuubi could reply, he elaborated, "I mean, we're practically handcuffed together. If I die, you do. And I'm assuming that it's the same the other way around. So why do you act like such a complete bitch to me? What have I done to you?"

Kyuubi chuckled and placed a hand on her hip, "Silly boy. I'm going to answer your questions in order. I treat you this way because I can." She shrugged, "Simple as that. It's not that I hate you, I act this way because it's fun to see your misery. I'm a demon. I'm not like you humans, who can enjoy seeing others' happiness. I love to see you cry. I love to see you angry. I don't know why, but I just get a kick out of it. I mean, yeah, I'm not happy about being sealed inside you. But that's not your fault, so I'm not angry at you or anything, and you haven't done anything to deserve the way I treat you. I just do it because I love your pain. It makes me smile." She stated that whole explanation with a grin on her face. "It's really simple."

Naruto could only stare at her, "You're... A twisted, evil, sick bitch..."

Kyuubi's laughter echoed throughout the whole room, "Well, if that's the way you wanna put it, I don't care." Both of them remain quiet for a moment before Kyuubi spoke again, "I was hoping you'd snap after I killed Bakara-"

Naruto's eyebrows inched closer together, "It's Sakura."

Kyuubi rolled her eyes and looked around, "Well, I still can't find that fuck I wanted to give. Oh well. Like I was saying, I was hoping you'd snap after I killed her, so I could convince you to take that damned seal off." She says, pointing up at the bar with the paper on it. "Doesn't look like that'll happen. And you were drunk, too. I could've had the perfect opportunity, if it wasn't for... What was her name? Kenai? Kurura?"

"It's Kuren-"

"Ah, never mind, I don't care." Kyuubi interrupted him, as if she didn't even hear him talk. "I'm going to have to have a little chat with her, soon."

Both of Naruto's fists were clenched so tight, he almost drew blood. He marched toward the cell, to the point where he was literally five inches from Kyuubi's face.

"Listen, you fucking bitch. You're not coming near Kurenai or anymore of my friends. I simply wont allow it anymore."

Kyuubi was still grinning. "Heh, or else what? You'll hurt me? Even if you were able to lay a finger on me, I don't think you stack much of a chance against one of the world's most powerful demons in existence."

"If you come near my friends again, I'm going to kill myself, and take you with me."

"Oh, and go back on your word about becoming Hokage?"

Naruto paused. She had him cornered.

This was what brought Kyuubi the utmost joy. Seeing his confusion, misery, anger. "That's what I thought. You can't stop me, Naruto-kun. I'm going to become free from you one day. Right now, I'm just counting down until that day comes."

Naruto was angry, "Fuck you. Stay the hell away from my friends."

The demoness put on a mock frightened face, "Ooh, I'm so scared! I think I'm gonna piss myself!" She then grins and crosses her arms, "You're not intimidating anyone, kid. So get over it. Soon, Naruto-kun, very soon. I will get out of this seal."

Naruto sneered, "I'm not going to let that happen. I can bet that on my life." Naruto then sent her a challenging grin, "Don't underestimate me."

* * *

Naruto woke to find himself in a bed much more comfortable than his own. He also felt pressure on top of his body. His eyes opened, and a big batch of ebony hair blocked his view atop of his chest. His head felt heavy and throbbed in tune with his heartbeat. And his eyes felt unfocused, blurring his vision slightly.

It was then that he realized that the hair on his chest was from someone's head. And the pressure on his body was because that someone was on top of him, asleep.

Before he freaked out, he turned his head to look at her face and saw that it was Kurenai. He was about to freak out again until flashes of what happened the night before popped back into his memory. All he could remember was the deep, emotional talk they had, then the kiss, then... magic happening. However everything before him waking up in Kurenai's house last night was a bit foggy.

He gazed at her. He found he sleeping face beautiful, even with her messy hair. She moved a bit in her sleep, and it was then that Naruto remembered that they were both still nude. Their previously sweaty bodies had dried up, sticking them together just a bit.

It was then that her eyelids fluttered open like a butterfly preparing for take off. Her eyes looked weary, and had bags under them. Her red irises slowly analyzed the setting around her, before settling on Naruto. She seemed surprised to see him at first, but like him, the memories started coming back to her. She smiled at him awkardly, and Naruto did the same.

"Um," Naruto mumbled, "Goodmorning..."

She hesitated before replying, "Goodmorning, Naruto-kun..."

Then, there was silence.

Kurenai fidgeted and adjusted herself, "Um... Do you remember what happened last night?"

"Sort of... I remember waking up in your apartment last night, and, ehrm, everything after..." He said coyly. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I remember the same..." She says, she then got off of him, rolling over to the other side of the bed. The headache due to her hangover didn't appreciate this however, "Um... So... Last night... You remember us... Ending up like this too, right...?"

Naruto blushed slightly, "Yeah..."

Kurenai nodded, then hesitated again, "Was... Was that your first time?"

The Jinchuuriki's blush reddened, "Um, yeah..."

Kurenai wanted to facepalm herself, "Great going, Kurenai. You've just taken a hurting boy's virginity."

It was then that something confused her a bit.

She looked at him, eyebrow raised, with a blush tainting her cheeks, "Naruto-kun... Are you sure? Because last night, um..." She cleared her throat, "You really seemed to know what you were doing..."

Naruto was surprised. What she said was a slight ego booster, but the moment was far to awkward to take much notice to it.

"Really? Well, that was the first time I did anything like that, so..." A tiny smile spread across his face, "Was I, you know... Good?"

Kurenai had to stop herself from replying right away, "Yes, very, actually..." She said, _"Even better then Asuma..." _she thought.

Naruto had to hold back the large grin threatening to spread over his face, "Oh... Well, we were still drunk when it happened, so... Maybe that's a factor?"

"Possibly." Kurenai said, "But... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw myself at you like that. You're still young, and I wasn't in my right mind to do that."

Naruto felt as though he should be apologizing, "Um, you didn't throw yourself at me. I was the one that kissed you, so... Shouldn't I be apologizing?"

Kurenai shook her head, "No, I pretty much did it. I was feeling hurt, lonely, sad, drunk... There was a lot going on with me, and I don't think I controlled my actions too well. I thought that if we did... what we did... it would help both of us feel better." She chuckled, "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Well..." Naruto mumbled, "It did help. Or at least it did for me."

"It did?" She asked.

"Yeah. I mean... when I think about it, it feels... weird. But everything after the talk last night helped me feel better a little because it didn't feel dirty, or perverted, or anything like that... it felt... right." Naruto scratched his head, a sweatdrop pasted on his forehead, "I don't know if I'm making much sense..."

Kurenai thought for a minute before responding, "I can understand where you're coming from, because I actually feel the same way." She blushed, "It felt... good. Not just physically, but... it felt like we've kind of bonded and helped each other feel better, because we were both hurting. I didn't really want to admit that at first, because you should have lost your virginity to someone you love, not to a friend who was drunk and hurting."

"Um," Naruto hesitated, "With all due respect, I don't have any regrets." He said. "I mean, sure, I would have never expected to, um, do this... with you. But," Naruto smiled, "I'm glad it happened. I still feel terrible, and I'm still in pain from what happened, but after last night, you really helped me feel better."

Naruto smiled at her, and she smiled in response. Then, they blushed and avoided eye contact.

"Er, that's why I feel like I was the one forcing myself on to you... I think you're really beautiful, Kurenai." She blushed even more, "And, um, I just went with my gut feeling. I may have been drunk, but it still felt right. I just hope that I've helped you feel better as much as you helped me."

Kurenai gave a small smile, "You did. My only regret was that I was your first."

"But I'm kind of glad you were." Naruto said honestly. She smiled in appreciation, then went into thought.

"... Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

She fumbled with her words a bit, "Um... You're... Do you have feelings for me, right now?"

Naruto wasn't prepared for that question. He really had to consider how he should answer.

"Like... Romantic feelings?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Um... I think you're really pretty, and a great person for helping me set my mind straight. And after last night, I feel like we've grown serious connection. But," Naruto's head started to hurt more, now that he was thinking so much, "I don't know how I feel right now. I like you a lot, but I can't tell whether or not I... love you."

Kurenai let out a breath of relief. She's not the only one confused here. And at least she wont have to worry about Naruto becoming too attached to her. Or the other way around.

Maybe.

"Well, that's only because we hardly know each other. I have to agree that last night was magical, and we do kind of have a big connection now, despite how sudden everything happened. But you and I are still going through tough times, and it's hard to tell what we feel at this point."

Naruto nodded. He stared down at the covers resting on his legs as everything became painfully silent.

"So..." Naruto mumbled, "What happens now? Do you want me to leave and forget everything that happened?"

"No, of course not." She told him seriously, "I wouldn't just kick you out like that. You helped me, and I helped you last night. You're now welcomed to come here whenever you want to. Just as long as you keep the place clean, of course." She said with a playful smile.

The blonde smiled, "Thanks, that means a lot." He then thought to himself for a bit, "So... Does this mean that... we're in a relationship?"

The brunette was uncertain how to answer that question, "Um... I think it's too soon for something like that. We've gotten closer, but we still don't know each other enough for that. Plus, we're going through hard times... Both of our hearts are broken. So I don't think it'd work out."

Kurenai was about to continue when she saw the look of disappointment on his face, but he started first, "It's okay, I understand. You're right, it's too soon for something like that to happen right now."

The Jounin smiled appreciatively, and caressed his cheek, "It doesn't mean it can't or won't happen, though. It may not be set in stone, but I don't think I would mind going that step further with you." She said, "You may be young, but you have a wonderful personality. You have a heart of gold, a lot of charisma, and you're not a bad looker, either. Maybe if we took things slow, one at a time, we could form something special. But if we try to start that too soon, everything might just end terribly, and I don't think you nor I want to take that risk."

Naruto nodded. He wasn't disappointed with her answer. Everything she said was true.

"You're right, I understand." He said. Then the painful silence creeped into the room again.

"Um, Kurenai?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm still hurting."

She cupped the side of his face, "It's alright, I am too."

"...Kurenai?"

"Hm?"

He looked right into her dazzling red eyes, "... I don't really know how to put this, but... What we did last night... Is it okay if we did it again?"

Kurenai blushed.

"Um... I don't know if we should make this a habit, Naruto..." She said.

"Yeah, I get that, but... I just want to one more time." He told her, "We were drunk when it happened, and I want to have that experience, you know... sober. After that, we don't have to do it anymore." He then looked away. "But if I'm asking for too much, I understand..."

...Kurenai planted her lips onto his passionately.


	3. Chapter 3

_...Smack...Smack...Smack..._

"N-Naruto..." She whispers breathlessly.

_Squeak...Creak...Squeak...Creak..._

"Ugh..." He grunts.

_Bang...Bang...Bang...Bang..._

"Mmn... Oh yes... Right there, baby... D-Don't stop..."

_SMACK!_

"Ooh!"

Kurenai looked back at Naruto in shock, as her left buttock began to sting, "Naruto-kun... Who taught you to do that...?" She then gave a flat expression, knowing the answer already. "Jiraiya, right?"

Naruto blushed and nodded, "Yeah... Sorry..."

Kurenai gave a dirty grin, "Don't apologize... I actually liked it." She said, "Like I said, you can be rough this time. So don't be afraid to be a little aggressive..." Then with Naruto's grin and nod, she grinned as well and laid her head back onto the bed. Her back was arched, and her ass was high in the air, held by Naruto's hands.

The squeaking sounds from the springs of Kurenai's bed, the banging sounds from Kurenai's headboard hitting the wall behind it, and the slapping sounds coming from Kurenai's butt colliding with Naruto's lower abdomen area all started resuming again.

Naruto threw his head back as he pushed into Kurenai repeatedly. It was so tight, so wet, so warm... His heartbeat began accelerating again, and his body became hot. The feeling is indescribable. He found it beat the hell out of masturbation. And even though he had the memory of similar experiences from yesterday, he couldn't recall it feeling as mind-blowing as it did now. He could now relate to Jiraiya on what he obsessed over in the past few years.

Kurenai bit her lip once she felt Naruto impale into her over and over again. Her eyes were shut. Even after the three climaxes Naruto and Kurenai shared, she was as wet and aroused as ever. Asuma could never go four rounds. Hell, he couldn't even measure up to Naruto, in the most relevant term. She felt Naruto go deeper and deeper, giving her the utmost pleasure. She wanted to scream. But she didn't want to freak Naruto out. She simply tried to keep her mouth shut, despite the moans that inevitably escaped her vocal chords.

_SMACK!_

All hopes in holding back her scream went out the window once Naruto struck her ass again. It was the right cheek this time, and he did it harder now that he knew Kurenai liked it. She let out a somewhat loud outburst once it happened, but, to her surprise, Naruto didn't stop once he heard it. In fact, he started going faster. Reaching in deeper. Handling her rear end even rougher.

Kurenai let go of any restraint she had, "Ooh, yes! Don't stop...! Mmmnnn...!" She cried out, loving the increase of pleasure Naruto gave her. She reached to fondle and handle her bare breasts and nipples to increase her pleasure along with her lover's assault.

Naruto loved her words and sounds of encouragement. He also loved the smacking sound of his lower abdomen unmercifully smacking into her ass. It was hypnotic, and made him want to increase his pace. He hung his head from the feeling of Kurenai's pleasing womanhood. He became enchanted at the sight of Kurenai's round ass. It held a red mark on each cheek, one lighter than the other, contrasting with her pale skin. He watched as it jiggled with each collision, almost like shaking a pack of gelatin. His sight then moved down to his penis slipping back and forth through Kurenai's lips. His stiff manhood shined, almost dripped with Kurenai's excessive fluids. He then closed his eyes. The sight of all this could make him climax sooner than he would hope.

Surprising Kurenai, Naruto slipped out of her. Before she could even react, Naruto grabbed her waist, and adjusted her so that she was laying on her stomach. She then felt Naruto's legs brush against the outer side of her thighs, followed by something hard and stiff poking between her legs, as if it were searching for something. Once it found Kurenai's eager pussy, it wasted no time stabbing into her as deep as it could.

Kurenai squealed like an injured puppy.

She found herself trapped under Naruto, once he leaned forward. And she liked it. It'd be a bit difficult to tell from Kurenai's sweet personality, but she's quite the animated one in bed.

She moaned, and squealed, and whimpered, and groaned repetitively as Naruto continued his pounding. The sex sounds continued, and began to accelerate. Naruto was breathing hotly into her ear, and that only furthered her arousal.

She was sure that she would leave stains on the sheets below her.

Not that she cared.

"F-Fuck...!" She cursed, as the pleasure was almost too much for her to handle. She was breathless. Her body was painfully tense. She could tell that her orgasm was coming any minute. Each rep of his hips sent bolts of pleasure that quickly spread throughout her body. She wanted to care about making too much noise, so the neighbors wont hear, but she couldn't. The sex was just so mind-blowing.

"...Kurenai...I'm gonna cum..." She heard a deep voice say into her ear. As soon as she heard him, that sent off the trigger inside Kurenai.

"Oh yes, m-me too..." She whispered back wearily, "Cum inside me, Naruto... I'm so close..."

Naruto started pounding even harder, faster. All Kurenai could do was squirm and beg for more. Her heart was racing, and the thought of a possible heart attack worried her for a quick second. Each stroke built up her orgasm even more, little by little. She had a hard time breathing properly, as less oxygen was being brought to her brain.

Then, like the fireworks that go off on January 1st, 12:00am, Naruto exploded deep into Kurenai. As if that were her cue, Kurenai came hard, as well. Both their eyes rolled into the back of their head. Naruto grunted loudly, but were overrun by Kurenai's moans and yelps of pleasure. They both were momentarily unaware of their surroundings, as their brains and thoughts became clouded with pure lust.

Soon, their orgasms died down, and Naruto gently collapsed atop of Kurenai. They were both breathing as if they just gave birth, sweating, being unable to move.

They both lingered in the aftermath of great love making. Surrounded by sweat and the aroma of sex.

Kurenai had to wait a few minutes before she could properly gain her breath, "That was... amazing..." She said to no one. "It's so damn hard to believe that you were a virgin..."

Naruto chuckled tiredly, "Well... I am... Well... was." He then moved to kiss Kurenai, which she gladly accepted.

"That. Was. Hot."

Naruto knew that wasn't Kurenai's voice.

Kurenai knew that voice couldn't possibly come from Naruto.

The broke the kiss and looked at each other wide-eyed. They then whipped their heads toward the doorway.

In it, revealed Anko, who was leaning against the door frame, staring at the couple with an amused smile.

They panicked.

Naruto quickly attempted to get off Kurenai and try to cover himself, only to fail, landing headfirst onto the floorboards.

Kurenai, now free, had struggled to cover herself as well, but couldn't, due to her hastiness.

"Anko! G-Get the hell out of here!" Kurenai shouted, still struggling to get under her sheets. Naruto just laid there on the ground, groaning, barely conscious.

Anko's smile could only widen, "Oh relax, I've been standing here for a while now. I've already seen everything."

Kurenai was furious, but more so embarrassed. It was then that she realized something...

"With the door open, Anko?! Are you kidding me?! Are you fucking insane?!"

"Hm, I dunno... A lot of people say that I am-"

"CLOSE THE DAMN DOOR!"

Anko stepped inside, and closed the door behind her, calmly. "Alright alright, sheesh." She said, shaking a finger around in her ear to stop it from ringing, due to Kurenai's outburst.

"I meant you get out and close the door!" She threw a pillow at Anko. If she had a kunai nearby, she would have chose that instead.

Anko caught the pillow, and by that time, Naruto stood up groggily while holding his head. He then remembered who else was in the room with him, and grabbed the sheets to cover his most intimate area.

Kurenai, seeing that Anko wasn't going anywhere, sighed, "Ugh... How long were you there?"

Anko smirked, then glimpsed at Naruto, "I've been here since blonde-boy here started spanking you like an assertive parent."

Their blushes both deepened to impossible amounts. "Hehe, get it? _Ass-_ertive?" she said with a laugh.

Kurenai sighed, "Anko, I beg of you... Can you please get out? May Naruto and I please have some privacy?" She asked, pinching the space between her brows.

Anko's grin never disappeared, but she turned around and grabbed the door handle, "I suppose. Just don't start another round before I get my camera."

And with that, Anko was out the door.

Kurenai looked at Naruto and saw the obvious embarrassment on his features.

He looked at her, "Um... Maybe I should go now?"

Kurenai nodded hesitantly, "Y-Yeah... You can come here later on tonight if you want..."

Naruto nodded and searched for his scattered clothes resting in random rooms and areas in the house. He found them, then got dressed in record time.

He looked at Kurenai, then looked away, "Um... I'll see you later, Kurenai-chan..." Kurenai gave a small 'good-bye' smile. He walked toward the bedroom window on the side of he bed. Kurenai figured that he'd resort to exiting through the window in fear a facing Anko, who was most likely still outside of the front door.

He began to leave, until he paused. He hesitated before walking toward Kurenai. He avoided eye contact, leaned forward over the bed, and kissed her. Kurenai replied positively to his passionate kiss, by kissing him back with just as much passion.

Once their lips parted, Kurenai and Naruto blushed. To prevent further embarrassment, he rushed out the window.

Kurenai's blush still lingered, even as she smiled. She smiled not just because of the cute way he left, but because he called her 'Kurenai-chan'.

_"He's so sweet... No doubt, he could possibly be the perfect lover."_ She then frowns,_ "But we can't keep doing... this. At least not now. No matter how good... and satisfying... and addicting it is..." _Kurenai sighed and got off the bed. She found her bathrobe and placed it over her nude frame. As she was tying the sash, she looked out the window and glimpsed at the position of the sun.

Her eyes went wide, _"It's almost sunset...?! How long have we...? We missed breakfast! And lunch, almost!"_ She face-palmed herself. _"Kurenai, learn some self-restraint for Kami's sake." _She then shook her head and walked toward the front door.

Not giving her any time to react, Kurenai opened the door and pulled Anko inside. She _knew_ Anko was eavesdropping on the other side of the door.

"H-Hey! Easy!" Anko exclaimed at being forcefully pulled inside the apartment. Kurenai closed the door and turned to face Anko.

Anko had to admit, that Kurenai's glare was intimidating her just a bit.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't hurt you right now." Kurenai grumbled.

Anko gave her best attempt at a sweet smile, "Because you love me like the sister you've always wanted...?"

Kurenai's glare only hardened. She had to resist the urge to capture her inside a very painful genjutsu...

A drop of sweat rolled down Anko's forehead. But nevertheless, Anko looked around the apartment, "Hm, so he left? How come?"

The other Jounin in the room didn't feel obligated to answer that question, "Anko, why the hell would you barge in here like that? Why didn't you knock?"

"I did!" Anko said. "I was standing outside your door for Kami knows how long! But you and your bed was making so much noise that you probably didn't hear me!"

Kurenai's blush returned.

"Th-That's no excuse to barge into my house, Anko!"

Anko only shrugged. She then gave a smirk, "So...? How was it? From what I could tell, Naruto is quite the beast in bed, huh?"

"Ugh!" Kurenai growled, "That's none of your business! I'm so pissed that you walked in on us like that! And left the door open, for crying out loud!" Kurenai then started stomping toward Anko, making her take a few cautious steps back.

"Um, i-in my defense, I'm sure nobody besides me saw anything..." Anko stated nervously. Kurenai backed Anko against a wall, and Kurenai lifted Anko by her trench coat.

"You're still wrong for it, Anko." Kurenai growled menacingly.

Anko sweatdropped, "H-Hey, I'm not the bad girl, here. I'm not the one cheating on their boyfriend..."

Kurenai's anger suddenly disappeared. She put Anko back onto the floor, and avoided eye contact.

Anko noted how quickly Kurenai went from angry to sad, "Hey, I was just kidding... I don't care if you had a little side meat and cheated on Asuma. I'm not going to tell anyone, I promise."

Kurenai shifted, shaking her head, "I didn't cheat on Asuma."

Anko raised an eyebrow, "...Are you sure? Because from what I saw, you were really letting Naruto give it to you."

Kurenai gave a minor glare then looked away, "No, I didn't cheat on Asuma because... Asuma and I aren't together anymore."

Anko's expression shifted into a mildly surprised one, "Oh? And why is that? I thought you two were head-over-heels for each other."

Kurenai had to bite back her lingering anger over the subject, "Asuma dumped me. He said he didn't feel it was working out anymore."

Anko's demeanor was unreadable.

Then slowly... that very _eerie_ smile spread across her face.

She pulled out a kunai, and twirled it around her index finger, "So. Do you want me to record it and send the tape to you?"

Kurenai was confused, "...Record and send what?"

"Asuma getting bit by fifteen snakes that contain the world's deadliest poisons."

Kurenai had to stop Anko by grabbing the back of her trench coat once she turned around, heading for the door.

"Anko, as much as I appreciate it, I don't think that'd be necessary." Kurenai told her.

Anko looked at Kurenai through the corner of her eye, still set on hunting The Third Hokage's son down, "You sure? It'd be no problem at all. I can make it look like a complete accide-"

"Yes, I'm sure." Kurenai said with a small chuckle. "Leave him be. I have no intent on getting revenge."

Anko huffed and shrugged, "Whatever you say." She then turns around once Kurenai lets go of her trench coat, "So when did he decide to dump you?"

"The day before yesterday."

To the surprise of Kurenai, Anko gave a very amused grin, "Damn girl! I figured you'd need some time to recover, but you've already decided to move on and get laid again, huh!""

Kurenai blushed, "N-No, that's not-"

"Hey, don't worry, I don't blame you. I just didn't think you, of all people, would move on so fast!"

"Well, that's not exactly-"

"I figured you'd just spend some lonely nights here in bed, with a vibrator between your thighs, wondering why most men are assholes. But it seems that you already found a good replacement, eh?"

"Hold on, that's-"

"But you know I support almost every decision you make. Asuma's a dick for leaving you. So I guess moving on right away might be just what he needs to make him jealous."

"No, Anko, that's not-"

"Damn, if only I had a camcorder with me when I walked in on you and Naruto... I would have recorded it and sent him the tape!"

"Anko-"

"Yeah, that would have been excellent! He'd be so pissed! I'd love to see the look on his face!"

"Wait, can you just listen-?"

"But of course, I'd keep a copy for myself... I mean look at you! Your hair's a mess, you're all sweaty, and you smell like pure sex! What you both did was hotter than any porno I've ever seen!"

"... Ank-"

"Or maybe I'd make a lot of copies, and sell them outside of Konoha... Yeah, that sounds good! I'd have made more money than Jiraiya!"

"ANKO!"

The somewhat crazed Jounin snaps out of her daydreams and looks at Kurenai as if she's been rudely interrupted, "What?!"

"Can you listen, please?! You've got everything all wrong!"

Anko rolled her eyes, "Okay, so please enlighten me, Kurenai."

"I'm not using Naruto to get back at Asuma, that wouldn't be fair to Naruto at all. Naruto and I weren't even supposed to do... what we did."

"So, what, did you and Naruto get drunk together and fuck till dawn?" Anko said sarcastically.

She noted how Kurenai blushed and got silent.

Her jaw hung slightly in shock, "That's not what happened, right?"

"Um, not exactly..." Kurenai mumbled coyly, "Naruto and I did have a few drinks together last night, however... Yes, we had sex, but it happened once, and we fell asleep right after."

Anko was still slightly surprised, "That doesn't explain how you two were fucking like a newly wedded couple when I got here, though."

"Well... when we woke up..." Kurenai then shook her head, "It'd be better if I just told you everything from the beginning."

* * *

Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha with a small, content smile on his face. He was happy. But he was happy in a strange way. It's not the same kind of joy he'd feel when he'd receive free ramen, or learn a new jutsu or technique. It was hard for him to explain, because it was a new feeling.

Kurenai really cared for him. He didn't realize it just because of the sex, but because she practically gave him new life through her words and actions. And Naruto was so happy because of her.

He wasn't sure where he should be going. He didn't want to go home, and he wasn't really in the mood to train. But an advisory sound coming from his stomach reminded him that he hasn't eaten in well over twelve hours. Having set his destination, he turned a corner, heading straight for Ichiraku's.

Naruto moved the entrance-like curtain out of his way, and sat on the bar stool. Teuchi, the owner and employee of the store, turned to him and gave him a welcoming smile.

"Gaki, whats up? How ya doing?"

Naruto smiled. He felt proud to say this, "I'm doing good."

Teuchi nodded, "That's great to hear." He said, "So what'll ya be having?"

* * *

Naruto left the ramen stand with a content stomach, as always. He payed the tab fully, and was on his way to his apartment. As he ate, he realized that his activities with Kurenai from this morning/afternoon had coated him in a distasteful odor. And because of this, he decided to take a shower and get a change of clothes. He was only glad that no one around him noticed, or made an effort to make it known.

Soon, Naruto reached his home, took a quick shower, and wore a fresh set of clothes. Sunset soon approached, and Naruto headed back out to go to Kurenai's. He figured Anko would have left by now...

As he made a turn onto a certain street, Naruto walked by the Yamanaka flower shop. He began to pass it, until, by some force of nature, something told him to take a glimpse through the shops window.

He paused upon seeing Ino. She was behind the reception counter, with her face in her palms, crying. A little pain struck his heart upon seeing this, even though he wasn't really what he would consider 'friends' with her.

It wasn't like Naruto to ignore this. He walked into the shop, despite the store's sign reading 'closed'. The bell rung once the door opened, and Ino immediately looked up in response.

She wiped her face, and tried to mask her sadness, "Sorry, we're closed." She said with an effort to prevent her voice from cracking.

Naruto walked up to the counter, "Um... I know. I saw you through the window, and I wanted to, um, make sure you were okay..."

The Yamanaka attempted to smile, "Yes, I'm fine, Naruto. Thanks for your concern..."

Naruto frowned when Ino failed to prevent another tear from falling.

"Is it because of what happened with Sakura...?"

As if that were her cue, Ino broke down. She folded her arms on the counter-top and buried her head into them. She was now sobbing. Her cracking voice echoed slightly throughout the somewhat empty room.

Naruto looked at her cheerlessly. He now felt guilty again. Not only did his actions affect the life of Sakura, but affected the emotions of everyone close to her. He frowned even more when he thought about how this will or has affected Shizune. And Lee. And Tsunade.

Naruto hadn't stuck around when he told Tsunade that Orochimaru was the one that killed Sakura. In a small sense, he wasn't lying, and he used that logic to bring himself to tell Tsunade the subliminal truth of how her number one apprentice had fallen. But he couldn't look her in the eye as he told her. He couldn't even stick around to see Tsunade's reaction to the news. He simply left after that.

He hasn't seen or spoke to Tsunade since.

And to see Ino in tears over the situation reminded him of that. Deep down inside, he knows he lied to the Hokage, and he knows he could possibly be locked away, seeing as how his lie can be seen as an act of treason. He knows he lied to the woman that does nothing but want Naruto to succeed. But he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. He thought he was sure that she wouldn't see him differently if he told her what really happened. But a big side to him keeps telling him that she'll shun him.

Naruto shook his head and pushed those thoughts into the back of his mind to deal with them later. He returned his attention to Ino, and decided to at least help her feel better. He walked over to the other side of the counter and rubbed Ino's back.

"Why, Naruto...?" She sobbed, "Why did she have to leave us...?"

Another pain struck his heart. He felt old wounds opening up again. He wondered if he even deserved to be in Ino's presence right now. He killed Sakura, her best friend since childhood. And if she knew that, she'd probably hate him. He wanted to tell her, but like the event with Tsunade, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Hell, the only reason he told Kurenai was because he was drunk. But she only accepted him simply because she's not close with Sakura. If Kurenai knew that he was the cause of someone close leaving her forever, then she'd probably hate him too.

Despite Naruto's self-induced guilt trip, he figured he at least owed Ino to help her feel a bit better.

"It'll be okay, Ino... Sakura-chan's in a better place now. I'm sure she wouldn't like it if she saw you like this..."

Ino sniffled, and sobbed even more, "B-But, it's just so sad... Sakura was a good person, she didn't deserve to die..."

Yet another pain hit Naruto's chest, but he kept his composer, "I know, Ino..."

Then, Ino's lamentation increased, and she suddenly rose to hug Naruto. Her face was buried into his jacket, and she clenched onto him tightly.

"There's so many things I want to say to her... She helped make me into the person I am today... Without her, I don't know who I'd be... And... Now that she's gone... I... Oh God, Naruto...!" She held onto him tighter, as if she'd drift away if she let go. Her crying was going berserk now.

A tear shed from Naruto's eye, into Ino's hair.

"I'm so sad that she's gone... Of all people... It just hurts so much, Naruto..."

Naruto closed his eyes, and hugged Ino back.

"I know, Ino-chan. I know."

* * *

"...Wow. That's quite the story." Anko said. "So tell me, exactly why was Naruto depressed?"

"I can't tell you." Said Kurenai, "I'm not sure if I was even supposed to tell you that he was depressed in the first place."

Anko shrugged, "Fair enough." She then grinned, "So, four times, huh? Fox-boy has that much stamina?"

Kurenai rolled her eyes, "Yes. We were only supposed to do it one more time, though."

"But you multiplied that number by four because the sex was just that good, huh?" Kurenai blushed, "I always assumed the kid was a virgin, but to think that he'd be a natural..."

"Anko," Kurenai said flatly, "You're thinking way to deeply into this."

"Not as deeply as Naruto being inside you, apparently."

Kurenai's face now matched the color of her eyes.

"Shut up!" she exclaimed, "Why did you even come here in the first place?!"

Anko looked up at the ceiling, tapping her chin, "...I forgot."

Kurenai gave her the flattest of all expressions.

"Hey, it's not my fault that seeing you get handled like a five-ryu whore distracted me of why I came here."

"Get out." Kurenai said flatly.

Anko laughed, and walked towards the door, "Fine, I'll leave you alone for now. And don't worry, I wont tell anyone about what I heard or saw today..."

By this time, Anko was outside the door, and Kurenai was on the other side, "Great. Good-bye."

Kurenai closed the door.

"Except everyone in Konoha..."

Kurenai heard this and immediately opened the door, "Anko!"

The Tokubetsu Jounin was already down the hallway, "Just kidding!" she said.


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto turned to Ino as they reached their destination, "This is your home, right?"

Ino sniffled and nodded. Even though she calmed down quite a bit, she still continued crying while Naruto walked her home. "Yeah..." She looked at him. "Thanks for walking me home, Naruto. You're really sweet for doing this."

Naruto smiled at her softly, "No problem. I'm really glad that I helped you feel better."

She returned the smile, "Me too. You're... You're a really great friend." She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and headed for her door. But before she entered the apartment, she turned her head back at him, "See you later, Naruto-kun. And... thank you."

Naruto smiled, "See you later. And you're welcome."

Ino smiled and headed into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

Naruto felt good, knowing that he helped someone that was going through hard times, just like him. He suppressed the thoughts stating that he was the one to blame in the first place, trying to prevent from bringing himself down.

Naruto then turned around.

He jumped when he saw Kurenai behind him.

"K-Kurenai-chan...!" He said in surprise. "H-Hey... You scared me."

"Sorry." Kurenai said, "I was just out to pick up a few things for the house... I didn't mean to pop up on you like this." She said.

"Oh," Naruto mumbled, "I was just about to head back to your apartment. Mind if I come with you?" He said with a smile.

"Sure." She said, with a smile that held an emotion that Naruto missed...

* * *

Kurenai and Naruto headed back to Kurenai's home after she picked up a few groceries from the local store. However, throughout the trip, her mind was lingering on something else.

Naruto noticed that Kurenai was quiet, but decided not to speak on it. He was now helping her put the groceries away, "Um," Naruto mumbled, "I hope Anko-sensei didn't tell anyone about what happened earlier..."

Kurenai gave a small, but somewhat dead chuckle, "No, I don't think she has or will. She's a close friend of mine, I doubt she'd do that."

Naruto let out a breath of relief as he finished with the groceries, "Okay, good..." He then looked at her and saw the uneasiness on her features, "Um... Sorry if I pushed you too far earlier. I know that we'd agreed that we'd do... what we did only one more time..." He apologized.

The Jounin looked back at him with a sincere face of understanding, "No need to apologize, Naruto-kun. You didn't push me to do anything, I was also at fault for breaking our agreement." She said. Naruto nodded, but saw her uneasy look reappear.

"... You look kinda, I dunno... upset. Or like something's bothering you..." He mumbled.

Kurenai cursed under her breath. She didn't think or want her emotions to show outwardly. She thought she was doing a good job.

Kurenai shook her head, "It's nothing, Naruto." She said.

Naruto scratched his head, "Are you sure? You can be completely honest with me, I'd hate to see you upset."

The Yuuhi hesitated. She didn't want to lie to Naruto, he didn't deserve it.

Things were quiet for a minute before Kurenai said something, "Naruto... Do you like Ino?"

The questions was so sudden and random to him, Naruto almost had to ask her to repeat herself, "Ino-chan? N-No, not really?" He answered, then raised an eyebrow, "Why do you figure that I like her?"

"I saw her, um, kiss you when I was behind you..."

Naruto was confused. He was positive that the kiss Ino gave him was just an innocent peck on the cheek that didn't mean much.

"Well... Yeah, but-"

"It's okay if you like her..." Kurenai said, avoiding eye contact. Kurenai did, indeed, see Ino hug and kiss Naruto. However, due to the angle she was standing at, it didn't look as if the kiss was targeted for his cheek, and looked a lot more meaningful than it was.

And for some reason, it bothered Kurenai.

She didn't understand why. It's not like she and Naruto were a committed couple or anything. They only had sex. Five times, but it was just meaningless sex to help the other person feel better...

...Right?

Or was it more than just sex? Was it something beyond that; something that let them bond on more than just a physical level? These were questions that rampaged around in Kurenai's thoughts. She shouldn't be feeling this way. Or at least not yet. She doesn't want to feel like she claimed Naruto, because Naruto has the right to date who he wants to date, being that he is single. Kurenai has the same privileged as well. Sex isn't a relationship, after all. But, for some reason, when she thinks of the available men that she could date, all that comes to mind is a certain blonde-headed shinobi.

She didn't want to say that she loves Naruto, even if it might be true. It's too soon for something like that to happen, especially considering the fact that she's still heartbroken. But could Naruto helping her through this dilemma in her life affect the speed of attachment she's growing for him? She didn't want to admit it, but she knows that it's a very high possibility.

Besides, Ino was a lot closer to Naruto's age, anyway. And she had to admit, they do make a good couple. But the thought of them being together irritates her. And she doesn't want it to, but she can't help it. Naruto doesn't belong to her. And she doesn't belong to Naruto.

But deep down inside, she wishes that wasn't the case. But she knew letting something like that happen too soon isn't wise.

"I mean..." She continued, "Ino's a nice girl. She's really pretty, too. So you can tell me that you do. It wont matter to me." She lied.

"But, I don't like her." He said, "Well, at least not in that way. Ino's just a friend that I helped feel better, since she was sad about the whole Sakura thing."

Kurenai looked him in the eye, "So, why did you two kiss before you dropped her off?"

Naruto displayed his confusion, "We didn't kiss... She gave me a small peck on the cheek for helping her feel better."

Kurenai showed a faint display of disbelief. She was pretty sure that Ino kissed him on the lips. But, it was possible that the angle she was standing at only made it seem so.

Or did her jealousy trick her into thinking that?

It wasn't an impossible though, and Kurenai knows, or is at least pretty sure, that he wouldn't lie to her about something like that.

But being the precautionary woman that she is, Kurenai had to make sure. "Just a kiss on the cheek? It didn't mean anything? You don't have feelings Ino?"

Naruto chuckled at Kurenai's obvious jealousy, "Yes, no, and no. Ino is just a friend. That's it."

Kurenai let out a small breath of relief, one that she didn't know she was holding. It bothered her that his answer had such an effect on her, however.

"Oh." She mumbled, feeling foolish. "But like I said, it's okay if you like someone else... You don't have to feel like I'm tying you down or something." She said. One side of her truly meant what she said. The other had plenty of disagreement.

Naruto fidgeted a little bit, "Um, since we're being honest..." He started, then hesitated, "I... I only like one person."

Kurenai had to ask, "Who?" A huge part inside of her was really hoping that he'd say that it was her. But Kurenai knew that this isn't a fairy tale, and she'll have to prepare for an answer that she wouldn't expect or particularly like.

However, her question was answered. Not by Naruto's lips speaking the name of the person, but by his lips pressing on to her's. She was shocked by the kiss, but didn't put up much of a fight. She eventually returned the kiss, despite a part of her brain yelling at her not to.

Then they found their tongues embracing in a dance. As their bodies started getting hotter, Kurenai found herself pressed against the wall of the kitchen.

Naruto then moved his mouth lower, kissing under her chin. Then he began to kiss and suckle on her neck.

Kurenai was breathless, "N-Naruto..." She whispered. She called his name, but he continued, figuring that she was moaning his name in pleasure.

However she called his name again to spur his attention, "Naruto-kun, please..." She said a bit louder. Naruto stopped and looked at her. "We can't... We can't keep doing this..."

Naruto looked away, feeling a tad guilty, "I can't help it..." He said, "I really like you, and... Whenever I'm near you, I-"

"I know, I feel the same way." Kurenai said, "But we can't keep doing things like this."

Naruto thought for a second, "Well... Why not?"

"Because you're still recovering from things, as am I. Plus, we're moving ahead of ourselves. If we keep doing this like this, our feelings for each other will grow." She hesitated, "I admit, that I... Really like you. And that I do want us to be together. But we can't, just not right now."

"But... Who said that us being together would be a bad thing?" Naruto asked, "I mean, yeah, it might be kinda quick, but I think that if two people really like each other, and want to be together, they should."

"I agree." Said Kurenai, "But if we start off things too fast, then things can end just as fast. And if things turn out that way, we can really end up on bad terms with each other. And I'd hate to lose you, especially as a friend."

Naruto looked away, thinking, "...Ero-Sennin, despite him being a huge pervert, gave me advice on things like love and stuff on our training trip. He told me that if two people are mutually ready to take a step further into their relationship, they should. He said that a common mistake that people make when it comes to things like this is that they think they have to wait a set amount of time before they can start dating. But the truth is, that you should do it whenever you feel ready. Some may take longer than others, and some may be quicker." He looked Kurenai in her dazzling red eyes, "Do you honestly feel comfortable moving forward? After all, you did say that you want us to be together."

Kurenai paused, thinking about how she should answer, "...I think I'm pretty comfortable with the idea, but... I still don't want to rush things."

"Who said that we'll rush things?" Naruto asked, "We're just taking another step. I don't want anyone else but you, and I don't mind being committed to you. Do you feel the same way about me?"

Kurenai nodded.

"So lets take that step. It's not like it'll change much regarding how things are between us now, because I'd still want you only either way. And we can still take things slow afterwards. I know we're still hurt over everything that happened to us, but I believe we can still help each other regardless. We can still learn more about each other, and slowly grow closer, too. And if one of us thinks that we're pushing things a bit, we'll back up for a bit and start again."

Kurenai had to say, that he was making a lot of valid points, "And I won't let things get ugly between us if things go wrong. I refuse to let that happen." He stated. She looked in his cerulean eyes and saw that he meant every word. She concluded that he was right, for now at least, and that she should obey her gut feeling.

She slowly smiled, "Alright... If you really think we should, then... lets do it."

Naruto smiled as well, "I like the sound of that." He kissed her, and this time, she didn't feel a drop of guiltiness when she returned it.

Naruto then broke he kiss and blushed a bit, "Do you still want to... Um..." He hinted. Kurenai grinned and unzipped his coat.

"Naruto, lie down on the counter."

* * *

"I couldn't find him, Tsunade-sama." Yamato informs the leader of the village. Shizune looks at Tsunade to see her reaction and can see her narrow her eyes.

"And you've looked everywhere? The ramen stand? The training grounds? His house?" She asked.

"Everywhere." Stated Yamato with a nod, "I even checked other places, like the memorial grounds and the hospital."

This is where worry began to creep into Tsunade's mind. She hasn't spoke to Naruto since he and Yamato came back from the spy mission, and told her why Sakura was in the hospital. She saw how depressed he was, and has never seen him so low like that since she's met him. And now that he's nowhere to be found makes her worry what he's doing, or has done. She was somewhat sure he wouldn't leave the village because of his depression, and even if he did, she would have been alerted.

She eventually convinces herself that he'll turn up eventually, and nothing should be of any worry.

"Well, despite Naruto not being here, I have some very important info to share with the both of you."

Kakashi, who was sitting in one of the seats now stands up and stands next to Yamato, "Okay, shoot."

Tsunade looks at them both, "It seems that Sai has been found. The thing is, he's been found as a corpse, dead."

Kakashi and Yamato were pretty surprised with this information.

"Sai...?" Yamato mumbles, "But didn't he join Orochimaru? I'm pretty sure my wood clone saw everything."

"Yes, that much is correct." Says Tsunade, "However, Sai didn't join Orochimaru as an act of treason. It seems that Danzo assigned him to a separate mission from mine, sending him to infiltrate Orochimaru's hideout, then assassinate Sasuke Uchiha."

Kakashi nods. He found it hard for news like this to truly shock him anymore, "So I'm guessing Sai got caught and failed, since he's been found dead."

"Yep." Said Tsunade, "That's most likely what happened. And after inspecting Sai's wounds, it appears that he'd been finished of by a particular Lightning-style ninjutsu; The Chidori."

It wasn't noticeable, but Kakashi was hit with a wave of regret. He should have never taught Sasuke that technique.

"So Sasuke was the one that killed him... He must've gotten quite strong over the years if he could take down an ANBU."

Tsunade nodded, "We don't really know if Sasuke had any help from Kabuto or Orochimaru, but if I know Orochimaru, I'm sure he would have just spectated for his own amusement."

"But wait," said Yamato, "Why wouldn't Danzo inform you, The Hokage, of something as important as sending Sai on a separate mission?"

Tsunade scowled and scoffed, "I really don't like Danzo. He's a very sneaky person, much like Orochimaru. I'm sure he didn't inform me of his plan because he knows I wouldn't approve of it. The only reason he told me the truth when I asked him was because I had him cornered, and it'd make him look very suspicious if one of his top and most trusted ROOT members betrayed the village and joined Orochimaru, of all people."

Kakashi and Yamato nodded, "Now I see why you wanted to inform Naruto." Said Kakashi, "It wont make him happy, but it would probably give him more motivation to train."

"There's that," she responded, "and the fact that he is a part of Squad Seven. He deserves to know; He ,ay still be a Genin, but he's not a kid anymore."

Kakashi nods, "While I was in the hospital, I've been doing some thinking, and thought of a way to make him much stronger in little time." He then looks at Yamato, "I'm going to need you for it, too."

Yamato nods. "Well, you two do what you must. I'm sure Naruto would love to hear that." With that, she made a gesture to tell them that they have been dismissed. The two Jounin bow to their Hokage and leave the office.

Shizune turns to her long time friend, "I wonder where Naruto is... I hope he's doing alright."

Tsunade stares into space, thinking, "Yeah... Me too. He's in the village, so we don't have to worry too much." An idea pops into her head. She opens a drawer to her desk and pulls out a crystal ball that previously belonged to The Third Hokage.

Shizune sees this with shock, "M-Milady, do you intend to find Naruto using that?" Tsunade nods, "But... You said that you'd never use it because you'd feel like you're spying on someone..."

"I'm using this because of my concern for Naruto. Not because I want to be nosy." She concludes. She hesitantly looks into the ball as she activates it's power.

Tsunade stared into the ball for a few seconds.

Shizune gasped when Tsunade fell out of her chair.


	5. Chapter 5

___**A/N - Hello all. :) **__This is the part where I respond to____****__** reviews and such, so if you just want to get to the story, simply scroll past the bold/italic text until you've reached the horizontal line.**_

___****__**And for those of you that asked questions regarding what will happen next in the story, I'll give no answer. You'll have to find that out for yourself. ;)  
**_

_Clothes__Optional__ -_ _Great so far, I like the way you write your character's interactions with one another. _  
_ I don't really have anything bad to say apart from small things that bother me. _

_ Your usage of the F bomb; I feel that Naruto characters are OOC when using it. In almost every situation it can be replaced with damned (or a similar curse) and it would feel like something the characters in the manga would say, that feeling of authenticity is something that really completes a good Fanfiction story. In any other situation the F bomb seems juvenile and unnecessary. _

_ While I'm on the topic on things a character on the manga would say, I can't help but be bothered by Shizune's address to Tsunade. Milady is just so... out of place in this. If it was based on a manga/anime that took place in old Europe then it would be fine otherwise... it's just out of place. Shinshou, sama, sensei even dono would better than milady._

_**My Response**__** - First off, I wanna say that I like your username. :) And I see what you're saying regarding my excessive use of the word 'fuck'. I know it's not really an authentic word used in the manga, but I just like the word. 'Fuck' is probably one of the top words used in my vocabulary lol. I know that makes me kind of juvenile and childish, but I don't care. I am only eighteen, after all. But I do agree, after reading everything over, that it does kind of take away the authenticity of the story, so I'll try to use the F bomb less often. **_

_**And about Shizune addressing Tsunade as 'Milady'... I'll be honest, I read a different story (Or was it a doujin? A dubbed Naruto episode? I don't remember.) where the author did the same thing, and it intrigued me, so I applied it in this one. I wasn't aware that it was a European thing, it just kind of sounded like something Shizune would say, in my opinion at least. But now that I know that it's an old European thing, I'll stray from using it.  
**_

_**Thank you for your advice and tips. These are the kind of things that shape me into a better author, so it means a lot. :)  
**_

* * *

"Naruto-kun... That was great. As usual..." Kurenai sighed, tired and sweaty.

Naruto lightly chuckled as his body layed atop of her's, his face resting between her breasts. "I agree."

"And your stamina is just... Wow. After everything we just did, you're still hard..."

He laughed again, "Yeah... It was kind of a pain when I had to resort to masturbating... My supply of tissues would run out quick."

They both laughed, despite how breathless they were.

"I'd go another round with you Naruto, but you wore me out." She says with a smirk, "Plus, I'm getting hungry."

Naruto got off of Kurenai, slipping his erect shaft from it's sheath, "Me too." He says, "If you're cooking, can you make me something, too?"

Kurenai nods and sits up, "Of course. If I'm able to walk." She replies half jokingly before they both remove themselves from the kitchen counter.

* * *

Elsewhere, Tsunade was finally coming back to her senses. She groaned and held her head as she regained consciousness.

Shizune was above her, using medicinal chakra on her temples for support, "Tsunade-sama! Are you alright?" She asks.

"Y-Yeah." Tsunade answers, still suffering from a massive headache. "What happened?" She asks. But before Shizune could respond, Tsunade already remembered the answer, "Naruto...!"

Shizune blushes a bit, "Yeah... I saw what made you pass out, too..."

"No, no, no, no," Tsunade said quickly, rapidly shaking her head, "That old man's ball is busted. There's no way. He must've used a Genjutsu or something to make perverted stuff show up in that thing."

"I don't know, Tsunade-sama..." Mumbles Shizune, "I didn't detect any genjutsu, and I'm sure you didn't either..."

Tsunade's head pounded at the thought of what she saw being true, "But Naruto would never... Kurenai would never..." She held her head, "What the hell... How could... Why would... When...?" She groaned as her head pulsed, "Damn, my head is killing me right now..."

Tsunade got up from the small couch that was located in her office and staggered to her desk. She opened a drawer and took two aspirin from a bottle she kept nearby whenever her duty as Hokage gave her a migraine. She then looked at the crystal ball again.

Shizune saw this and became apprehensive, "Tsunade-sama, I hope you don't plan on using that thing again..."

"I have to." She responded. "Naruto is like the son I never had. And I have to be sure he's not doing anything he'll regret."

She activates the ball once more and holds her breath. She gasps as she sees a nude Naruto spooning a nude Kurenai from behind while she cooks.

"I can't." Said Tsunade. "This can't be real."

Shizune looks at her for a few seconds, wondering what she'll do next. When Tsunade gets up from her seat and walks toward the exit, Shizune hastily blocks her path.

"Shizune, what are you doing?" She questioned.

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, I don't think going out there to rain on Naruto's and Kurenai's parade would be wise..."

Tsunade stared at her, surprised, "Are you saying that you support what they're doing?"

"Well," Shizune thought for a second, "I can't say I'm against it, but I'm not really supporting it, either. Naruto has the right to do whatever he wants with who he pleases. And so does Kurenai."

"But it's still wrong. Naruto may be sixteen, but the age difference between him and Kurenai are too far apart."

"Oh?" Shizune crossed her arms, picking up an uncharacteristically brave persona in front of her leader, "Kurenai only has roughly more than ten years over Naruto. So you're saying that you wouldn't date anyone ten years older or younger than yourself?"

Tsunade gave a small glare, "That's different, Naruto is-"

"An adult now." Shizune finished, "If Naruto wants to seek relations with Kurenai, you shouldn't have the right to stop them from doing so."

"You're missing a big part of this whole situation, Shizune." Tsunade said, "Yes, I'll admit you're right, Naruto and Kurenai have the right to make their own decisions. But I can't let Naruto go through with this. Sakura, his life long crush, recently died. And I don't know if you know this, but Kurenai recently had a miscarriage." At this, Shizune gasped. This she did not know. "So who knows what kind of temporary state they're in at the moment. They're probably desperate for comfort right now. And once time passes and heals old wounds, they're going to be good as new. But one or both of them will be devastated when either find out that their feelings for the other was just temporary. And I can't let that happen to them, especially not Naruto."

Shizune thought to herself, "But... how do you know that they're not, I don't know, having just a one night stand?"

"Look at them, Shizune." Tsunade says, pointing at the crystal ball, "You can tell from their smiles that feelings are involved here. And I don't know if Asuma and Kurenai are still together. If they are, and he were to find out, that may cause some drama. I know Kurenai isn't the type to cheat on someone, but then again, who knows how she'll act after going through something as stressful as a miscarriage."

Shizune fell quiet.

"I understand that you want to help, Shizune, and you're only doing what you think is best for Naruto. But I'm doing what I know is best. Now will you please step aside?"

Shizune hesitantly shook her head, "...No."

Tsunade's gaze hardened, "That was an order, not really a request, Shizune."

Shizune pointed at the ball, just as Tsunade had, "Look at them, Tsunade-sama. Look at how happy they are right now."

"Sex can make anyone happy." Says Tsunade.

"Yes, but they look very happy together. And you said it yourself, that Naruto and Kurenai are probably still hurt from what's happened in their lives. So maybe this is what they need to help each other." She said, "I'm sure if you stormed in there, and ordered Naruto and Kurenai to stop seeing each other, not only will that upset them, but they might develop a distaste of you for budding into their lives."

Tsunade looked at the ball, then back at Shizune. Before Tsunade said anything, Shizune continued, "Please, Tsunade-sama, don't interfere. This is their personal lives, they don't need you controlling it like you control their lives while on duty. If things go wrong, and you turn out to be right, then I'll accept any punishment you give me. But right now, I think letting them do things on their own might be just what they need." Shizune looks Tsunade right in her eyes, signifying how much she meant every word. They both had what looked like a staring contest before Tsunade turns around and sits back into her seat.

"Fine." Tsunade said, "For your sake, and Naruto's, you better hope you're right about this."

Shizune nodded, "I'm not saying that you shouldn't talk to Naruto and Kurenai about it though. But barging in on them right now, telling them not to see each other again could turn out bad. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't be so... eager."

Tsunade turned off the crystal ball and nodded, "Alright, I'm taking your word for it, Shizune. You've never been wrong when it came to changing my decisions so far, and I surely hope you don't start today."

Shizune nodded, but couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, "Hai..."

* * *

"Oh..." Naruto replied, "So how long will it take before you become fertile again?"

"Until my cycle returns back to normal, which can take a month or so. That's why I haven't bothered with birth control or made you pull out during sex." She says. Naruto nodded as Kurenai was wrapped in his arms.

"...Out of curiousity," He said slowly, with caution, "What were you going to name the baby?"

"I haven't really come up with a name." She says, "But if it were a boy, I was thinking to name him after his father, but..." She shrugged and sighed, "Oh well."

Naruto hugged her closer in a gesture to remind her that he's there for her, "I know you'd be a great mother." He said softly, causing Kurenai to smile.

Things were quiet for the couple spooning in bed, until Naruto spoke up again, "...What if... What if you got pregnant again? By me?"

Kurenai turned around in his arms to face him. She looked in his eyes and saw the apprehension within his pupils.

"Well..." Kurenai muttered, "If you got me pregnant, then... I can't say that I'd be too upset. I know that you would care for the baby like a real father should, and I know that I'd have nothing to worry about." She answered, "But, I'd be worried for you. I mean, would you be comfortable to be a father at your age?"

He hesitated, "Honestly, right now... No." He said honestly, "I mean, I'm still young... And if we had a baby, I'd feel conflicted to continue on with my shinobi duties while you stayed home by yourself to take care of him or her... Especially if something were to happen to me while on a mission. So I'd probably have to give that up, and not to sound selfish, but I don't think that's something I'd want to do..."

Kurenai nodded. She respected his honesty, "I completely understand, Naruto-kun. I'd hate for you to hand in your Hitai-ate so soon." She told him, while tracing his whisker marks with her fingertips.

He smiled softly, "But when I become Hokage, I'm pretty sure I'll be ready then."

She smiled as well, "That sounds like a plan." She said, "Now, lets go to sleep. I have an appointment at the hospital in the morning."

Naruto nodded and gave her a quick peck on the lips. She turned around in his arms, and snuggled her posterior into his anterior.

"Goodnight, Naruto-kun."

"Goodnight, Kurenai-chan."

That night, both of them fell asleep with smiles pasted on their faces.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto and Kurenai woke up, ate breakfast, and left the building after cleaning themselves up. Kurenai reminded him that she had a doctor's appointment, and Naruto offered to walk her there.

"Well, you have to admit," said Naruto, "Not many people in this village have pretty red eyes like yours."

Kurenai smiled. She loved talking to him, he was quite the charmer, "Thank you, Naruto-kun. And yes, my family is notorious for our red eyes. Not all of my relatives are fluent in Genjutsu like I am, so they don't help our Genjutsu abilities. They're just a rare gene." She said.

Naruto nodded, and reminded himself about how Jiraiya told him his eyes turn red whenever he uses enough of the Kyuubi's chakra.

"Have you ever been mistaken for an Uchiha?" He asked.

"Too often, yes." She sighed, "Especially since I have dark hair, as well." She then chuckles, "It's funny when I go on missions and my less intelligent enemies look at my eyes. They'll say things like 'Ah! We don't stand a chance against an Uchiha!' Or 'I thought they were all wiped out!'"

Naruto and Kurenai laughed.

"And as you may or may not know, I have fought Itachi Uchiha in the past, too."

Naruto's eyes went wide, "Really?! You're kidding!"

Kurenai grinned at his reaction, "I'm serious. It was around the time the Akatsuki started their first attempts at invading Konoha. And while I did lose to him, Kakashi made a comment sometime after regarding Itachi looking like he could be my cousin or something." She says with a snicker.

Naruto chuckled, "Well, thank goodness you aren't." He said, "So... When you fought Itachi, how did the fight turn out?"

Kurenai shrugged, "I lost. We were both masters of Genjutsu, but Itachi had the upper hand. It's no wonder why he's listed as an S-ranked criminal."

Naruto nodded. He's never had a true fight with Itachi, but knew he was strong, "...Yeah. If he could beat Kakashi-sensei, then he's definitely tough."

The Genjutsu mistress nodded, then looked up at the building they arrived to, "Well, looks like we're here. Thanks for walking me, Naruto-kun." She said with her signature smile.

Naruto gave a smiled as well, "Don't mention it. I'll see you later on?"

Kurenai gave him a peck on the lips, "Yeah. See you later, Naruto-kun."

Naruto watched as she walked in the building, thinking about how luck of a man he was for dating someone like Kurenai.

* * *

...Elsewhere, a young Hyuuga princess happened to be reading a book in bed.

Then suddenly, on the adjacent side of the room, she heard the sound of items hitting her hardwood floor. She looked at the source of the sound, and found that her shelf posted on her wall had seemingly fell apart.

Hinata found it weird, since she was sure that shelf was pretty stable.

She closed her book, and stood off of the bed. She walked toward the minor damage, and found her dairy and her pouch of kunai that she places on that shelf on the floor as well.

It was then that she noticed that her diary and her pouch of kunai had opened when everything fell.

And when her diary fell, it opened to a page where she drew a heart with Naruto's and her name written in the middle.

And, right in the middle of the heart, was one of the kunai that fell, stabbing the picture right in the center.

"...That's strange." Mumbled a confused Hinata.

* * *

Upon entering the building, Kurenai waited a few minutes until it was time for her appointment. She was shown to her room, and was told to undress, slip on a hospital gown, and wait until her doctor showed up by a nurse. Kurenai did as she was instructed, and waited.

Soon, after around five minutes, the door opened.

"Hello, Shizune." Said Kurenai with a smile.

* * *

Naruto, after dropping his new girlfriend off, decided that he should go train. He was walking down the street, heading to a training ground, until...

"There you are, Naruto."

The blonde turned around, and saw Kakashi walking toward him.

His heart jumped a bit at the sight of him. He was sure that he heard the news about Sakura by now.

"Uh, hey, Kakashi-sensei." He mumbled, "Feeling better?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yeah." He said, "Everyone's been wondering where you were yesterday. Tsunade requested to see you, and you were nowhere to be found."

Naruto tried hard not to blush, "Yeah, um..."

Kakashi held up his hand, "No need to tell me anything, it's none of my business. As long as you're here and okay now." He said, "But I think you'd better report to the Hokage. She's been worried about you."

Inwardly, Naruto sighed. He could practically feel the rest of his day going downhill from here, "Alright. I'll go do that now."

Kakashi nodded. Just as Naruto started walking toward the Hokage tower, Kakashi called his name, "Hey, Naruto."

He turned around, "...Yeah?"

"And when you're done, come see me. We have to talk about a few things."

Naruto cursed in his head. He knows he shouldn't run from his problems, but he didn't feel like facing them today.

"Right, gotcha..."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay. I, being the idiot I am, accidentally posted this chapter onto my 'Bring Me To Life' story. Sorry for the confusion anyone had... The next chapter to 'Bring Me To Life' will be out soon, however. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

Tsunade heard a knock on her door.

"Enter." She called out. The door didn't open right away, but when it did, Naruto stepped inside her office.

"Naruto-kun." She said, unsure of how she should look at him regarding what she witnessed yesterday. "I'm glad to see you. How have you been?"

Tsunade, having been dealing with people for 50+ years, noticed the guilt in Naruto's features.

"I've been good... You know, considering." Naruto responded, still unable to look into her eyes for more than a few seconds.

Tsunade nodded. She didn't take her eyes off of him since he stepped into the office.

Naruto noticed this and felt uncomfortable, "Er... Sorry about not seeing you yesterday. I was um," Naruto thought for a minute, trying to decide whether he should lie to Tsunade again or not, "At a friend's house."

The Hokage hid it externally, but she inwardly sneered. She just gained a big piece of the puzzle regarding the truth about Kurenai's and Naruto's relationship.

"I see." She said. "There's two things I want to talk to you about, Naruto. And both of them are serious subjects that need to be discussed."

Naruto swallowed his abundant saliva and nodded.

"Now, I might as well-"

"Tsunade-sama," Naruto interrupted, "If you don't mind... I have to tell you something first."

Tsunade was not only surprised about Naruto interrupting her to inform her of something, but was also shocked that he called her 'Tsunade-sama' for once.

"Sure, Naruto. What do you have to tell me?"

Naruto took a deep breath. He figured he may as well get it over with.

"Well... It's not an easy thing for me to explain but... I lied to you."

The member of the Sannin raised an eyebrow, "What exactly did you lie to me about?"

Naruto took a breif pause to gather his thoughts, "Sakura-chan... She's dead. But... Orochimaru didn't kill her." He looked straight into her chocolate-colored irises, "It... It was me."

Tsunade was silent.

Naruto frowned and looked away, "I know it was wrong of me to lie to you... But I felt so guilty from what I did..."

"...Naruto."

"I hated myself. Orochimaru provoked me, and I let the Kyuubi take over too much control of my body..."

"Naruto."

"And next thing I knew... Yamato-sensei told me that I killed her. I begged him to keep things between us. So if I receive any punishment for lying to you, please spare him."

"Naruto."

"I know I can go to jail, or even be executed for lying to you. I even think I deserve it... So if you tell the council, I will accept any punishment brought to me..."

Tsunade sighed, "...Naruto."

"Yes?"

"I know." She said.

Naruto looked at her, "You know?"

She nodded, "Yes. After inspecting Sakura's body, I detected some of the Kyuubi's chakra within her wounds. And Orochimaru doesn't seem like the type to leave wounds like the ones she had." She said seriously. "I found this out the day you told me that she was put in the hospital."

Naruto was shocked. "So... You're not mad at me...?"

Tsunade sighed again, "Naruto, the path of a shinobi is a brutal one, especially if you want to become Hokage one day. You will see many of your friends and loved ones die, and there will be moments where you'll be the cause of their death." She started, "But this is nothing I, nor yourself, can blame you for. You didn't kill Sakura. The Kyuubi did. It was a mistake, and Orochimaru getting under your skin to provoke you is nothing easy to prevent from happening. I'm pretty sure that he can still get under mine, and that's why I can understand why the Kyuubi's chakra broke free. We're both people that aren't even-tempered. I remember one time, I destroyed a building with my bare hands because a bottle of my favorite sake broke."

Despite the Naruto's mood, he chuckled a bit. He could really imagine Tsunade doing something like that.

Tsunade leaned forward over her desk and gave him a small smile, "So to answer your question, no, I'm not mad at you. Sakura's death is hardly anyone's fault; Not yours, Sakura's, Yamato's... If anyone is to blame, it'd be Orochimaru. That's also why I'm not mad at you for lying to me, since it wasn't an outrageous lie. I'm not particularly happy about you lying to me either, but I understand. Just know that I love you, Naruto-kun. And I may love Sakura as well, but I can't direct any hate at you for what happened."

Naruto gave a soft smile. He felt better, having lifted a lot of weight off of his shoulders without any negative drawbacks.

He frowned when he remembered something, "But... What about the council?"

Tsunade shrugged, "What about them? As far as they're concerned, Orochimaru did kill Sakura. I know they aren't as understanding as I am, especially since they don't particularly have a liking for you since you contain the Kyuubi. I'm glad you came to me to get things off your chest, but this has nothing to do with the council. This will just give them more of a reason to get rid of you, and I surely don't want you put in jail, banished, or executed, especially since you don't deserve it. But they would try to enforce such actions, so it'd be best if we kept this from them." She said. Naruto nodded and smiled.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade smiled and walked around to the front of her desk. She opened her arms, "Please, call me Baa-chan."

Naruto went into her arms and hugged her. She gladly hugged him back.

"But wait," Naruto said once they seperated, "You said that you had two things to talk to me about... What was the other one?"

"Well, what we talked about a minute ago wasn't either of them." She said.

Naruto raised his eyebrow, "So... What did you want to talk to me about?"

Tsunade sat on her desk and crossed her arms. Her smile no longer existed, and Naruto got nervous.

"I know what you've been doing with Kurenai."

* * *

Shizune gave a small smile, "Hello, Kurenai." She frowns, "I'm so sorry to hear about the pregnancy."

Kurenai sighs, "It's alright, I'll recover." She says, "So what do I have to do?"

Shizune pointed at the examination table that had leg stirrups at the end, "Just lay on your back, and put your ankles in those stirrups." Kurenai nodded and did as she was told as Shizune put on a fresh pair of gloves. Kurenai was now lying on her back with her legs spread and her hospital gown riding up, due to the stirrups holding her legs in the air.

After injecting Kurenai with an anesthetic, Shizune sat on a stool and approached her, "Alright, I have to check to make sure that your uterus is completely empty. We don't want you dealing with an infection." Shizune says with a smile. She place a hand over Kurenai's lower abdomin and pours her chakra into it.

"How is it?" Asks Kurenai.

"You have a little bit of placental tissue that was missed from your last treatment, but that should be easy to remove." She grabs an antibacterial pad, "Get ready, this is going to be cold." She warns with a grin. At Kurenai's nod, she applies the cleansing pad to Kurenai's vagina.

"Wh-Whoa, you weren't kidding..." Kurenai mumbles with a shiver. After applying the agent, Shizune takes a speculum from a drawer.

"Alright, now we have to dilate your cervix with this. I'm warning you now, this may either feel pleasurable or painful, or both. You'll also most likely feel cramping. Ready?"

"Wait, aren't you going to take me out on a date first?" Kurenai joked, earning a chuckle from the doctor, "Yes, I'm ready."

Shizune inserts the speculum past Kurenai's lips, and stops once she was sure that it reached her uterus. She slowly inserts metal dilators that were bigger than the previous one before.

After a while, the dilation was complete. Shizune had a good view.

She saw Kurenai wincing, "Pleasurable, or painful?"

"It felt good at first, but... getting my cervix dilated isn't something I'd want to happen again..." She said through her teeth. Shizune chuckled. She removed the rods and held the speculum open.

Things were a bit silent as Shizune continued her procedure. But soon, Shizune's curiosity got the best of her, "So... Have you engaged in any sexual activity in the past twenty four hours?"

Unknown to Kurenai, that wasn't a necessary question for her operation, "Yes."

Shizune said nothing. But she now knew that what she saw in the Hokage's crystal ball was correct. She wanted to ask Kurenai who she had sex with just to be completely sure, but she was on duty right now, and doing such a thing would not only be unprofessional, but invasive of her privacy as well.

Soon, Kurenai's D&C was complete.

After Shizune applied her medicinal chakra to Kurenai's lower abdomen, Kurenai freed her ankles from the stirrups and sighed, "So everything's in order?" She asked.

"Yep. You're free to go. Just don't engage in any sexual activity for the next twenty-four hours. And come back if you experience any pains or bleeding."

"Will do." Said Kurenai. Shizune nodded, and began to leave the room to give Kurenai the privacy to get dressed.

But before she left the room, "Tell Naruto-kun I said hi."

"What?"

"Nothing."

With that, Shizune left.

* * *

Naruto sweatdropped and blushed, "Oh, uh... H-How did you...?"

"That isn't important."

"Well, I kind of think it is." He said, "What she and I have been doing is a private matter. And neither of us told you anything, so..."

Tsunade gave an amused grin, "Naruto, I'm the Hokage. You're in no position to demand anything from me."

Naruto grumbled. He hated when she played the 'Hokage' card, "Fine. But so what if Kurenai-chan and I are together? It's not a big deal, right?"

"'Kurenai-chan?'" Tsunade thought, "Naruto, do you know how old Kurenai is?"

Naruto thought for a second, "Um... Twenty-something?"

"Thirty-one, Naruto."

Naruto felt embarrassed for dating a woman who's age he didn't even know. The only reason he didn't ask was because he knew it'd be rude to ask a woman her age, which was a lesson that Tsunade made sure to teach him in the past.

"Oh..." He then shrugged, "So?"

"Naruto, she's almost twice your age."

"So what?" He replied, "Wouldn't you date someone that's half your age?"

The Hokage grimaced. Shizune stumped her using a similar statement yesterday.

"Alright, you have a point. You're an adult, and your and Kurenai's decision to date should have nothing to do with your age difference." She admitted, "But, you do know that Asuma and Kurenai are already dating, right?"

"No, they're not. Asuma broke up with her before she had her miscarriage." Naruto said bitterly. Tsunade frowned. She'd never suspect Kurenai and Asuma to break up.

"So you know about her miscarriage, too." Tsunade said.

"Yeah. Kurenai-chan and I have really bonded in the past few days. We were both depressed about everything that happened to us, and we really helped each other feel better. I love talking to her. She makes me happy. She's easy to talk to, smart, understanding, beautiful..."

Tsunade only looked at him as he continued talking.

"I really like her, Baa-chan. I know everything happened kind of quick, but she's a very special person to me."

Tsunade was conflicted about hearing this, "...Do you love her, Naruto?"

Naruto hesitated, "I really like her, but... We just started dating. Kurenai and I are taking things slow, so we don't rush into anything too fast."

Tsunade nodded. This was something she wanted to hear. She knew Kurenai wasn't an idiot, and although young and a bit vacant, neither was Naruto. She figured that maybe Shizune's right; maybe she shouldn't intervene in their relationship, since they are responsible adults. Naruto already told her that Kurenai makes him happy, and she figured that she couldn't take that from him.

But still, deep down, she had her doubts.

"Alright." Tsunade said, sighing, "I wanted to tell you, mainly persuade you, that dating Kurenai might not be a good idea for your emotional health. But you both seem to have everything under control. And if she makes you happy, then I guess that's all I can ask for."

Naruto smiled, "Thanks, Baa-chan. I know you're just looking out for me."

"And I always will." She replied. "Just be careful. I don't want to see you hurt."

Naruto nodded and gave her another hug.

"What about the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?"

* * *

Kurenai walked down the street, planning to relax at home, since she still felt a bit of cramping. As she turned a corner, she almost bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry abou-"

Kurenai then saw who it was and frowned.

Asuma looked at her, "Oh... my apologies, Kurenai..."

Kurenai closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She reminded herself that she had nothing to say to him, "...It's fine." With that, she began to walk past him. But before she got too far, he called her name. Kurenai stopped in place, and took her time to decide if she wanted to turn around and answer him.

"What?" She hissed, with a bit of sting. Asuma noticed her attitude and spoke carefully.

"I know things have gotten really rough between us, and I really don't want any tension between us." Kurenai rolled her eyes, "But pulling that prank was just a step too far, don't you think?"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes at him with crossed arms, "What are you talking about, Asuma?"

Asuma crossed his arms as well, "Now you're acting like you don't know anything?"

Kurenai's teeth clenched a bit as her eyes rolled again, "I honestly have no clue what the hell you're talking about." She says, making her annoyance clear.

Asuma sighed, "A few minutes ago, I went to go relax and have a quick smoking break. But as I was about to light my cigarette, I see that it was wrapped in a paper bomb." He said, "I know you may be upset over what happened, but that's taking it too far, Kurenai. I know it wasn't a deadly or lethal bomb, but I still could have really gotten hurt."

Kurenai was legitimately confused at this point, "A paper bomb? I wouldn't do anything like-" she then sighs, knowing who did it. "Look. I didn't do it. I would never pull anything like that, and you know that."

"Well, if you didn't do it, who did?"

"I don't know." She lied, "But it wasn't me."

Asuma looked at her and could tell she was telling the truth, "Oh. Well I'm sorry to bother you, then."

Kurenai shrugged and turned around to begin walking. But, again, before she walked too far, she heard him call her name again.

She was getting pissed now and her small cramps wasn't making things better, "What, Asuma?"

"I'm sorry." He said genuinely. Kurenai knew by the tone of his voice what he was 'sorry' for. She simply looked at him for a few moments and turned back around.

"Goodbye, Asuma."

* * *

Naruto's eyes were wide with shock, "Sasuke... killed Sai?"

Tsunade nodded, "Sai was sent on a separate mission from the one I assigned for you and your squad, and Sai got caught trying to assassinate Sasuke."

Naruto tried not to let his anger show. When he tangled with Sai, he had a lot of trouble keeping up with him. And now he hears that Sasuke killed him, even while trying to perform an assassination, meaning that even though Sai most likely had the element of surprise, Sasuke still managed to beat him.

Tsunade saw his frown, "Yes, Sasuke is getting strong, Naruto. But Sasuke isn't using the right route to gain power, so you can say that he's cheating in a way. So don't feel as though you're slacking behind him or anything."

"But... I need to become stronger." Naruto said, "I need to get stronger so I can kick his ass and drag him back here where he belongs." Tsunade wanted to interject to comment something along the lines of traitors not belonging in her village, but kept quiet. "I need to get to him before Orochimaru gets his hands on him."

"Well," said the Hokage, "Kakashi did say something yesterday regarding giving you a special kind of training." At this, Naruto perked up, "So I would see him when you leave here if I were you."

Naruto recalled Kakashi saying that he wanted to talk to him. Maybe Kakashi didn't want to talk about Sakura.

He immediately became antsy about training to become stronger, "I'll go see him now! Is there anything else you have to tell me before I go?" He asked.

Tsunade shook her head, and Naruto immediately ran out her office. Tsunade sighed with a grin.

"That Naruto. He just never ceases to amaze me." She turns her chair around and looks out her office window, toward the sky. "I'm sure you of all people would know, Sakura-chan."


	7. Chapter 7

Kakashi shakes a finger in his ear, to help relieve the ringing noise from his distressed eardrum.

"Yes, Naruto, we're going to try to develop a new jutsu for you."

If Naruto's grin could spread any wider, he might just tear a facial muscle, "That's awesome! How do we start?"

"First, I start with an explanation." Kakashi says. Naruto's smile flips upside down upon hearing this. Kakashi smiles, "I know you hate explanations, but it'll be worth it in the end. Now, form a Rasengan."

* * *

Kurenai sighs as she cleans the sheets and covers to her bed. The cramps aren't unbearable for her right now, but they aren't exactly nothing she can just ignore either.

She knows that she should just be lying down right now, but Kurenai always was the type to feel uneasy when there was work to be done, and felt that she absolutely had to finish it before relaxing or taking a break. It was something that stresses her out from time to time, and although aware of this, she still can't help it.

That's not to say that she's not already a bit stressed out at the moment. Today was the first day she's spoken to Asuma since the break up. And his accusation of her pulling a prank on him offended her, making her feel as though he never really knew her in the first place. Not that she could fully blame him though, he couldn't have suspected anyone else pulling that prank, since it was right after he dumped her and she could possibly want revenge.

_"But he should have known I'm not that type of woman."_ She argues to herself, _"And I told Anko not to do anything in spite of what happened... That knucklehead." _

Just as she begins to open her refrigerator to eat some leftovers of what she made last night, she hears a knock on her door.

As she walks, she wonders who it could be. She arrives at her front door and opens it.

"Hello, Kurenai-sensei..."

"Hinata...!" Kurenai says, unable to hide her shock in seeing her. "Uh, hey, what's up?"

"I um... I just wanted to check on you to see if you were okay... I heard what happened about the um..." Hinata hints by glimpsing at Kurenai's mid-section.

"O-Oh... I'm fine, I appreciate your concern." Says Kurenai, "Oh, how rude of me, you can come in if you'd like."

Hinata nods, entering the apartment with Kurenai closing the door behind her.

Kurenai then realizes something, "Wait, how did you find out about my pregnancy? I don't remember telling you about it..." She asks.

Hinata blushes, "Sorry... I overheard Shizune-san and another doctor discussing it at the hospital..."

"Oh." Kurenai mumbles, "Does Kiba and Shino know, too?"

Hinata shakes her head, "No... I was alone in the hospital, and came straight here as soon as I heard."

Kurenai nods slowly. She then gives her a soft smile, "It means a lot that you came to check on me, Hinata. However, I'm fine. I've recovered, for the most part."

Hinata smiles as well, "I'm glad."

Kurenai gives her a hug, one that she returns.

"Um, I'll be leaving now. I have to speak to Naruto, as well." She says.

For some reason, Kurenai felt her heart sink.

"Um... Yeah, sure... But if you don't mind me asking, what do you have to speak to him about...?"

The Princess frowns, "Unfortunately, Sakura Haruno passed away, Naruto's teammate..."

Kurenai feigned shock, "O-Oh my, really? That's... terrible."

Her student nodded, "I know... It is tragic how Sakura passed away, she was an excellent kunoichi... And Naruto is probably devastated, especially since he did like her... So I feel as though I should show some support and see if he's doing okay, as well."

Kurenai hesitates for a second, but gives her a soft smile, "I'm sure he'd appreciate that, Hinata. You have such a caring personality."

Hinata smiles, "Arigato, Kurenai-sensei. I'd best be going before it gets dark."

Kurenai nods, "Yeah..." She opens the door for Hinata, and she walks out, "See you later..."

Hinata turns around and smiles, waving at her from down the hallway. Once Hinata turns back around, Kurenai closes the door.

Then is when it hit her.

The fact that she could possibly hurt Hinata in the worst of ways. She knows that Hinata has deep feelings about Naruto, even before she met her. She would give her student, her daughter-like friend, advice and tips on how to win Naruto's heart for the past three years or so. She knows that Hinata looks up to her, almost like a mother figure, and cares about her deeply. She knows that through the training sessions, missions, and overall time together as not only a team, but as friends, that she has one-hundred percent of Hinata's trust.

And she knows, that if Hinata were to find out that she's been sleeping with, and is now officially dating the man she's tried so hard to get to notice her, she'd feel betrayed.

Kurenai doesn't know what she was thinking a few days ago, back when they first shared their first kiss. She'd completely forgotten, or didn't stop to realize, that Hinata had her eye on him first. That it would be unfair to jump in and take Naruto's heart from her, although she never really had it...

And that's when it comes to Kurenai's mind that Hinata should have followed her advice as soon as possible. Kurenai had warned her back when she was still a genin, that Hinata should wait for the right moment to confess her feelings, but should also act fast before another woman came in and took Naruto's heart before she had a chance to.

It just never dawned on Kurenai, that she herself would be that woman.

She doesn't know who to blame. Hinata will eventually find out about her and Naruto's relationship if they were to continue on with it. It tore into her, unable to figure out what to do. It wouldn't be right to just dump Naruto, especially after they had just started dating, not even for Hinata's sake. And she has to admit, she doesn't think fondly of the idea of breaking up with him herself, especially considering how recent her last break up was. She knows Naruto has as much feelings for her as she has for him, and she knows Naruto currently doesn't have an interest in Hinata. Even if she were to break up with him, who's to say that Naruto would want Hinata afterwords? It's not written in stone that Naruto would ever return Hinata's feelings for him. But then again... who would have ever thought of Naruto developing feelings for Kurenai? What if Hinata was the one in that bar with him that night, and did everything Kurenai did that lead up to her and Naruto's first shared kiss?

And would it be right to just continue dating him, knowing that Hinata will have her heartbroken somewhere along the line, and could possibly grow to hate her? Hinata is her student, friend, teammate... And she sees her as a daughter that she never had. So could she dare to hurt her in such a devastating way?

"Ugh..." Kurenai groans, sliding her back against her door until her butt hit the floor. She rubs her temples with her fingertips, trying to ease the amount of stress currently expanding in her mind.

* * *

"...So it's wind...?" Naruto mumbles, gazing at the small piece of chakra-fed paper that he just split in half.

"It would appear so." Naruto notices a bit of surprise in Kakashi's voice, "Having wind-style chakra is actually pretty rare in Fire Country... There's not many people I know that have it."

"I always knew I was special." Naruto says cheekily, "So now what? How can I start adding my elemental chakra to my Rasengan?"

"Well before you can do that, you must learn how to control your elemental chakra." Kakashi tells him.

"Oh. Are you going to teach me how to do it?"

To Naruto's disappointment, Kakashi shakes his head, "Sorry, I can't do such a thing. I'm not very experienced with wind style chakra."

"But you said you know how to use four different elements!"

"Yes, and wind is the only one I can't use."

Naruto's face flattens, "Seriously? That seems kinda uncanny if you ask me..."

Kakashi grins, "I told you, wind is rare here in Fire Country."

Naruto groans, "So you're telling me that since I have wind chakra, I can't create this new jutsu?"

"Not necessarily." This perks Naruto up quite a bit, "There are a small amount of wind users in Konoha, but I do know one that could help you out."

"Really who?"

"The Third Hokage's son, Asuma Sorutobi."

It doesn't hit Naruto right away, but he frowns, almost grimaces upon realizing who he'll have to seek out to learn how to control his chakra.

Kakashi sees Naruto's shift in his mood, "What's wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto shakes his head, deciding not to bother with telling Kakashi the whole story, "Nothing... I'll speak to him and see of he can offer anything to help control my wind chakra now. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Once you get a grasp of it, we'll start on making that new jutsu."

"Cool." Naruto stars walking away, leaving a confused Kakashi to wonder what Naruto's mood flip was about.

* * *

Naruto decides to head over to the Hokage tower and ask Tsunade for Asuma's position, instead of aimlessly looking around the village for a person that he hardly knows.

After passing the ramen bar, he spots a familiar someone with long dark violet hair heading his way.

"Hey, Hinata." He says with a small smile.

The princess blushes once she stops in front of him. She promised herself not to faint this time, "U-Uh... h-hello Naruto-kun. I just wanted to er... make sure you were okay..."

For a second, Naruto almost asks why wouldn't he feel okay, that is until he realizes Hinata must've heard the news about his teammate, "Oh... I'm fine Hinata, thanks for asking." He says with a smile, "I'll admit that I probably wont get over it, but you know it's not like me to stay down in the dumps for long."

Hinata, although just slightly surprised to hear how well he's feeling given the fact that his close friend perished a few days ago, smiles to know that he's feeling well, "That's great, Naruto-kun... I'm glad to hear that. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Naruto politely shakes his head, "Nah, I'm fine. Thanks though."

Hinata nods, then hesitates to say, "Um... If you want, I can treat you to some ramen... Would that be okay?"

She did it. She finally summoned up enough courage to ask him on a date. She realizes that it came out much easier than she originally anticipated.

Naruto, however, frowns a bit, "Ah sorry, Hinata-chan, I'm kinda busy right now. I'm training and working on creating a new jutsu!" He says excitedly, "But maybe I'll take you up on that offer some other time, deal?"

Hinata frowns, but perks up the next second. He didn't refuse her offer, he's just busy. She couldn't blame him for that, and she's already proud of herself for asking him in the first place, "Deal. Um, I don't want to hold you back from your training, so-"

Naruto wraps her into a quick hug, something that caught Hinata off guard, "Thanks, Hinata! I'm glad that you took time out to check on me, it means a lot. And I'll find time to take you up on that ramen proposal okay?"

Hinata couldn't help but to be frozen. He hugged her. That was the first time he's actually hugged her.

She manages to gather herself to reply, "O-Okay..."

Naruto grins and begins to run past her, "See ya later, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata turns around, looking at him running, "See you later... Naruto-kun..."

* * *

Naruto soon enters the Hokage tower and enters through Tsunade's open doorway, "Baa-chan?"

Tsunade quickly puts the sake away and pretends to act as if she's been doing paperwork the whole time, "Ahem... Yes, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto saw her with the sake, but decides not to call her out on it today, "Can you tell me where Asuma Sorutobi is?"

Tsunade pauses, "...Why?"

The Jinchuuriki could hear the suspicion in Tsunade's voice, "I know what you're thinking, but it's not like that. I found out that my chakra's elemental nature is wind a few moments ago, and Kakashi-sensei thinks it would be a good idea to ask him for some guidance on how to control it, since wind is his nature, too."

The Hokage slowly nods, finding it ironic, "He just came back from a mission with his team, and I heard him and Shikamaru saying something about playing Shogi afterwords, so you can check Shikamaru's house, or his house."

Naruto nods, beginning to exit, "Thanks, Baa-chan."

Tsunade stops him, "Wait, Naruto." Naruto turns back around, "Don't do anything you may regret." She advises.

Naruto nods, "I'm not. When I see Asuma, everything will be strictly business. What he and Kurenai-chan went through in the past is going to stay in the past."

Tsunade respects his integrity, "I would hope so. Good luck on your training."

"Thanks."

* * *

"This game is all about thinking thoroughly and utilizing your offensive and defensive skills. It's about looking out for traps, and seeing through your opponents mov-"

"Checkmate."

Asuma pauses and looks at the pieces on the game board. He chuckles, "Best six out of eleven." He offers.

Shikmaru grins and stands up, stretching his limbs, "Nah, I had enough of kicking your butt for one day."

Asuma smiles and stands to do the same, "I beat you a few times though."

"Yeah, because I felt bad and let you win a few."

Asuma gives him a playful nudge on the arm, "Whatever."

Shikamaru grins, then sighs, "I'd best be getting home. My mom will kill me if I'm not in the house by the time she finishes dinner."

As he and Asuma shake hands goodbye, a thought comes to Shikamaru's mind.

"Before I leave, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why did you break up with Kurenai?" At this, Asuma frowns a bit, "I mean, she's a good woman. I know she made you really happy, and I doubt you both have had many arguments or disagreements... So why?"

Asuma sighs, then grins and places a hand atop of his head, "I did it for reasons you're too young to understand, Shikamaru. Kurenai is an amazing woman, and I wouldn't have chosen anyone else to spend the rest of my days with. She's not the reason why we broke up though, I just have my own reasons..."

Shikamaru wonders what he could mean by that, but shrugs it off. He knows Asuma wont elaborate any further if he asked him to, "Okay. Another round of Shogi at my house tomorrow?"

"Sounds good."

Shikamaru nods, then leaves Asuma's home. Shikamaru sees Naruto heading in his direction, and they greet each other as they pass one another.

Naruto then sets his eyes on Kurenai's ex-boyfriend, "Hello, Asuma."


End file.
